Two Peas in a Prison
by Just Some Guy Online
Summary: The energetic and hyperactive Lynn Loud Junior takes her aggressive and competitive ways to a whole new level of extreme when pressured by her baseball coach to take some new sports supplements. Her behaviour lands her in trouble with her family, and eventually, with the law. This time, she is punished with jail time, but what dangers will she encounter whilst inside?
1. Anything to Win

**Chapter 1: Anything to Win**

 _Alright, guys. I'm back in the FanFiction game. This time, I have a story about one of my favourite siblings alongside Lincoln and Lucy, Lynn Jr. This will be a tale about the sports girl going over the edge because of the bad influence of one of her sports coaches, only to end up in juvie for her troubles._

 _As far as ideas for this Fanfiction go, I had a bit of a brainstorm after watching the episode Middle Men from season 3, which came out about a month or two after I finished my previous fic, Pushover or Payback. Let's just say that certain themes and ideas from that episode will have relevance in this story._

 _Anyway, this is a story I want to tell and I'm going to. I hope you enjoy chapter 1._

Lynn Loud Junior was an energetic and fiery girl in a chaotic if lovable family. She was, all in all, a nice enough, well-meaning girl. She just loved having fun and playing with her friends and loved ones. But with all her energy and passion came a series of vices alongside them. Most notably were her obsessions with competition and winning. Competing and being victorious were urges she would go to great lengths to satisfy. Often to a fault. Along with that disposition was an intensely violent, aggressive demeanour, which exacerbated her existing character flaws.

These were things always likely to get Lynn Jr into trouble, but sometimes she usually managed to make it through okay. However, one time she was not so fortunate. It was an experience which started one evening, following a baseball event…

Lynn Jr: "Lynnsanity in the house! Woo!" she yelled to her teammates after they won a huge baseball game.

Margo: "You really are Lynn-sane, aren't you?"

Lynn: "Yep. That's me." She boasted.

Coach Henry: "LOUD! That was an excellent performance! Come and see me after everyone else has gone!" He told his student.

Lynn: "That new coach sure likes to make himself heard, doesn't he? Still, he beats our old team leader. That guy was a total piece of work."

Margo: "So, what do you think he wants to talk to you about?" she asked curious.

Lynn: "Eh, he's probably just gonna congratulate the MVP on her top-notch skills!" she bragged.

Margo: "Yeah, that figures." She remarked as she rolled her eyes, being all too familiar with her friend's ego.

Later, after the rest of the team left for home, Lynn went to see her new coach as he had requested…

Lynn: "So, coach. What did you want to see me about?"

The coach, who was facing away from her, then turned to face her with a rather serious expression on his face, as if he were about to ask her something big…

Coach Henry: "Loud. I want to cut right to the chase! You're the best player this team has, and to be quite honest, you're talents are wasted on this backwater team."

Lynn: "Hey, watch it! They're my friends! And you're new team!" she said as she defended Margo and her other close sports buddies.

Coach: "Lynn, you have the dedication. You have the skills. You have the energy and the passion. But there's something lacking."

Lynn: "What do you mean? Is it luck?" she asked concerned.

Coach: "No, it's not luck." He responded.

Lynn: "*Phew*" she let out as a sign of relief.

Coach: "It's this!" he stated as he held out his hand.

Lynn then looked down at his extended hand to see a small pill. Confused, she questioned the man over what he was showing her…

Lynn: "What's that?"

Coach: "That, Loud, is what's going to make you number one in baseball!"

Lynn: "Ha! I'm already number one." She replied with confidence and a grin on her face.

Coach: "LOUD! I'm serious!" he shouted at her intensely.

Lynn then ceased her arrogant thinking and quickly adopted a serious if intimidated look on her face as she realised he wasn't joking around.

Coach: "This is a brand new performance enhancement sports product, I got it from an old friend of mine who's gone into scientific nutrition goods. He's been working on this for quite some time, and he's confident it will give whoever takes it a boost like no other when it comes to athletic prowess."

Lynn: "And… has it been tested yet?" she asked nervously.

Coach: "On lab rats, as standard procedure. But you will be the first human subject!"

Lynn wasn't sure what to do. Her desire to be number 1 was intensely drilled into her brain. In her mind, she would do anything it took to be the best around. Yet for the first time in a while, she was having doubts about doing something in order to better herself. She did not wish to be a test subject for some new drug, and nobody knew the side effects this new enhancer would have on a human being. She didn't want to be a tragic casualty in the name of a ruthless scientific pursuit…

Lynn: "Um… coach. It's not that I'm being ungrateful, but…"

Coach: "But what?!" he demanded.

Lynn: "It's just that… I don't know if this is a good idea."

Coach: "What do you mean? Loud, do you not understand what I'm doing for you? This is a brand new state of the arc performance booster fresh out of a top level laboratory! This thing could give you strength and athletic ability far beyond that of any of your competitors. You could be the number 1, without worry, without the need to even practice!"

Lynn: "But what about the side effects? We don't know what this thing will do!"

Coach: "You know how it works. Sometimes you have to take risks to make it big in sports. In anything you do. Think about it. You won't need to rely on training, or the skill of your teammates, or luck ever again. You will be the best, no questions asked!"

Lynn did consider the advantages for a moment, given her competitive nature and her need to be the best at what she did, to never be inferior or vulnerable to a potential adversary…

…but the better side of her mind took over. She wasn't going to give into such temptation so easily.

Lynn: "I'm sorry. I appreciate the offer, coach. But I'm going to let my own skills and training get the job done for me. Besides, if I'm really that good, I don't need it."

Coach: "But that's just it, kid. That's why I'm talking to you. Because you are so good! I chose you as the person to take the enhancer, because you are someone worthy of its potential greatness!"

Lynn: "Sorry, but…" but she was then furiously cut off.

Coach: "LOUD! I am ordering you to take it! Or else you're off the team!"

Lynn: "Excuse me!?" she asked, completely shocked by the ultimatum her trusted sports coach was giving her.

Coach: You heard me! You do as I say or I will kick you off the team! No more baseball for Lynn Loud Jr. Heck, once word gets out that I decided you weren't good enough to be on my baseball team, your other sports captains and teammates will probably lose confidence in you, too. Then all that success you were striving for… bye bye." He insisted.

Lynn's invulnerability and insecurity in her own ability began to rise to the surface. Behind all her roughness and tough attitude, lied a past of being bullied and looked down on. The main reason she was so concerned with her need to be the best was because she never wanted people to think too little of her, to think they could just toss her aside and disregard her.

This thought process began to weaken her will to resist…

Lynn: "This is blackmail." She bitterly said.

Coach: "So you won't take it?" he questioned.

Lynn: "I… I don't know."

Coach: "Loud, you have a very simple choice. You can take the pill, and become the greatest baseball player of all time, under my guidance and assistance. Or you can take your ball and go home! It's up to you, kid."

As her insecurities began to take over, her will to resist temptation expired. She was too fearful of the idea of being an outcast and a piece of throwaway garbage like she was before. She just couldn't say no…

Lynn: "Alright, coach. I'll do what you want. You know best." She said as she gave in.

Coach: "That's good. You know it makes sense. Now take it." He replied as he handed the pill over to his sports student.

Lynn gazed at the pill for a moment. She tried to think optimistically, as was in sync with her usual cheerful and positive thinking personality. In her mind, she was trying to convince herself that the enhancer in her hand couldn't really be as harmful to her as she feared…

…the coach did inform her that the development of the drug occurred in a top of the range lab, after all.

Coach: "Take it first thing in the morning, Loud. Just as you're eating breakfast. Then it will give you a whole new level of energy, reflex, quickness and power which will last throughout the day!" he assured her.

Lynn: "Thanks, coach. I will."

Lynn was then dismissed from the coach's presence. She began to walk home, with the pill in her hand. She had so many thoughts going on inside her mind that she forgot she actually had a bike with her that she could've used to ride back quickly. She just left it there, too busy thinking about what she was about to do…

As Lynn began to return to her home, the coach pulled a mobile device from out of his pocket, and began to call a very important contact of his. He was planning something…

But whatever sinister intentions he had behind giving Lynn an untested drug were unbeknown to her. All she knew was that if she didn't follow her coach's instructions, she could lose everything…

Lynn returned to her home. Naturally, whenever one sibling entered the house, there were already 10 others lurking around, causing chaos. Lynn had to make sure she got through the living room, up the stairs and to her bedroom undetected.

Needless to say, her skills as a ninja were about to come in handy…

Lynn saw a rollerbrawl between the twins approaching her way. Clenching the pill in one hand, she performed a front flip in the air above the fighting twins. She landed on her feet with ease, but then saw a chemical flask being launched in her direction. She ducked the hazardous glass item, matrix style, before leaping towards the staircase so to avoid any other collisions.

Lynn then tip-toed up the stairs and under the notice of anyone in her family. She quickly yet quietly reached the door of her bedroom. She then let out of a sigh of relief as she thought she had reached the home free zone…

Lynn: "*Phew*" she expressed as she began to open the door.

Lucy: "Hello." She said with her usual near emotionless tone.

Lynn then screamed and jumped up in the air, as was the norm whenever Lucy let her presence known. In the process, she dropped the pill on the floor.

Lucy: "Lynn, what is that?" she asked with a sense of curiosity as she stared down at the object.

Lynn then swiped up the pill back into her clutches as she prepared to defend herself verbally…

Lynn: "None of your bees wax, miss sunshine!" she bit back.

Lucy: "Lynn, what was that pill?"

Lynn: "Just something that will help me get better at sports." She said as she tried to brush her sister off.

Lucy: "Is that thing even safe? Do you know what side effects it could have?" she questioned, concerned for the well-being of her sister.

Lynn: "It's cool! Coach Henry said so! Don't worry." She reassured as she tried to cheerfully talk down her sister, doing whatever she could to end the argument.

Lucy then retreated back to her coffin, uneasy about what her sporty sister was possibly getting herself into. Lynn also went to her bed and lied down. She opened her hand and looked at the pill one last time. She herself wasn't sure if she should really take it…

…but she couldn't risk disappointing her coach and possibly be kicked off the baseball team. Too much was riding on her decision to swallow the performance enhancement pill the next morning.

Lynn then picked up from her drawer what she deemed her lucky sock, in accordance with her superstitious beliefs. In actuality, it was an old smelly sock that she hadn't washed in a long time. But to her, it was her most valuable good luck charm, and she had a few of them. Luck was something she relied on, after all, perhaps TOO much.

Lynn: "Please give me good luck tomorrow." She quietly said to sock, before placing it back in her drawer, hoping for whatever help she could get to combat her fears.

She then began to try and get some sleep, knowing she had an eventful day coming up. She knew whatever happened the following morning, it would be a new experience…

 _Hope that was a satisfying introductory chapter for all you readers. This is the first FanFiction I've done in several months, since the likes of Pushover or Payback last summer. Will that story have any connection to this one? You'll just have to wait and see. Either way, now that I've done a couple of fics, I aim to used what I have learned to improve upon the writing process that contributes towards the making of these projects._

 _Anyway, I'm not entirely sure what the rate of progression will be for new chapters. One every week? Every fortnight? Every month? I honestly haven't thought that far ahead. I'll have to see what is most convenient for me, but it's unlikely there will be any consistency regarding how long it will between each new upload. I don't want to promise something and then not deliver._

 _But the duration between each upload will be reasonable. As far as chapter 2 goes, I might upload it next week. We'll see._


	2. Spiralling Down

**Chapter 2: Spiralling Down**

 _Here we go with the second chapter of this story. As the title pretty much confirms, Lynn will end up in jail after some nefarious deeds, but first there will be some time devoted to the build-up of this and the emotional downfall of the sporty Loud girl. Hopefully, this isn't off-putting to any readers, but I wanted to make sure I didn't rush any significant parts of the overall narrative._

 _This chapter will pick up exactly where chapter 1 left off, with Lynn taking the pill her coach gave her the following morning. But exactly what effects will it have on the overly reckless child? Let's find out. Enjoy chapter 2._

The following morning, Lynn woke up. More accurately, she woke up very early, since she was having difficulty sleeping anyway, with too much on the mind. She reached over and grabbed the pill that her coach had given her the day before. She looked at it again, wondering if she would be right to go ahead and follow her coach's instructions, given the risk involved. It still wasn't too late at that point to say no.

Lynn (to herself): "Come on. You want to be number one, don't ya?" she strictly asked herself.

Lynn then made her way downstairs to the kitchen. Despite nobody else being up yet, that didn't stop the sporty tomboy from preparing her breakfast. Of course, being Lynn, it didn't take long to prepare it. She just took out two eggs and cracked them before pouring them into a small drinking glass.

Lynn (to herself): "Okay, this is it. This is the moment when you go from a total noob to a star!" she reassured herself…

…before placing the pill in her mouth, along with some raw egg, gargling it for a moment, and then swallowing…

That was it. Lynn had consumed the performance enhancer. Now all she had to do was wait for it to kick in. So she decided to stay downstairs and watch some TV while she waited for what happened next…

Some time later, Lori came down the stairs…

Lori: "Lynn, what are you doing down here?" she asked out of curiosity.

Lynn: "Hey, can't a girl get an early morning if she wants around here?!" she harshly responded.

Lori: "Hey, I was just asking!" she defended.

Lynn: "Whatever!"

Lori: "Are you having any breakfast?"

Lynn: "Eh, I already had some. Two nutritious eggs." She stated as she rubbed her belly.

Lori: "And I see no sign of any frying pans. Let me guess, they were raw?"

Lynn noticed that her temper was starting to run out, and not even for any particularly good reason, and so she quickly decided to end the conversation by bluntly telling her sister to shut up…

Lynn: "Yeah, what's it to you!? Now shut up, Lori!"

Lori was flabbergasted by this exchange. She prided herself on the idea that she was the dominant sibling in the house. That she was the oldest and that title commanded some respect. She wasn't going to back down that easily…

Lori: "Hey! I've done nothing wrong! I only asked you a few questions out of curiosity, there was no need to bite my head off! Oh, and another thing, I would appreciate some respect out of you, Junior!" she argued sternly and confidently.

Lynn was experiencing a massive build-up of aggression and anger at that moment. She stood up and began marching over to her older sister…

Lori: "Hey, I'm not Lincoln or Lucy. You can't intimidate me so easily, shrimp! I'm twice your size and…" but before she could finish that sentence, her jock sister had grabbed a hold of her, and with tremendous strength had threw her to the ground.

Lori: "HEY! LYNN! Get off me!" she blurted out as she struggled against her surprisingly stronger younger sister.

Lynn: "What?! You think just because you're the biggest and the oldest that you're the boss around here?! That's cute!" she said as she got right in Lori's face while pinning her down.

Lori: "MOM! DAD!" she shouted.

The parents then rushed down the stairs when they heard one of their children was in need of their help.

Rita: "What's going on here?!"

Lynn Sr: "Lynn Loud Junior! Let go of your sister at once!"

Lynn Jr then rose to her feet and let go of her sister. Lori then crawled away from the position where Lynn was holding her, towards where her parents were standing, before grabbing them and then standing up…

Lori: "What is wrong with you?!"

Lynn: "Nothing! All that happened was you got in my face, and I put you on the floor!"

Lynn Sr: "Why did you attack Lori?!" he questioned furiously.

Lori: "For no reason! That's why. All I did was ask her a few questions, and she just went crazy! She's even more aggressive and temperamental than usual!"

Lynn Sr: "LJ! I want you to apologise to your sister. NOW!" he demanded.

Lynn Jr knew they were right in her mind. Lori did nothing wrong whatsoever. It was her own anger and short fuse that caused the situation to occur. And yet…

…she couldn't help but act out further. She felt compelled to let her anger and negative emotions take over…

Lynn: "Fine, alright. I'll apologise." She insincerely stated whilst approaching her oldest sister.

She than looked up towards Lori, stared her straight in the face, and then opened her mouth as if about to say the word "I'm sorry".

But then she did the opposite of respectfully apologising…

…she spat in Lori's face…

Lynn Sr and Rita in unison: "*Gasp*".

Lynn: "THERE'S YOUR APOLOGY!" she yelled furiously.

Lori then prepared to lunge herself towards her bratty younger sibling, but her parents, sensing a brutal collision was imminent, grabbed hold of the teenager and stopped her from doing so…

Lori: "LEMME GO! SHE'S GONNA GET IT NOW!"

Rita: "LYNN JR! HOW COULD YOU!?"

Lynn: "Oh, come on! You didn't really think I was gonna grovel and beg and 'say sorry' did ya?"

Lynn Sr: "Oh, you will be sorry! You're grounded for two weeks!"

Lynn found that threat to be so pathetic that she let out an audible chuckle, before proceeding to let her parents know exactly what she thought of their so-called authority…

Lynn: "Alright, mom and dad. Let me make this clear! I don't respect you! Any of you! This house is full of chumps and losers! As far as I'm concerned, you wimps aren't worthy of shining my shoes! And as far as your little grounding goes, I don't care for it!" she smugly told them.

Lynn Sr: "Listen to me, little miss… naughty!"

Rita: "Great finish, honey." She sarcastically said as she snarked.

Lynn: "NO, YOU LOSERS LISTEN TO ME! YOU'RE NOT THE BOSS OF ME! I DO WHAT I WANT, WHEN I WANT! NOW… bye." she yelled as she finally let her rage-filled state completely take over.

Lynn then ran for the front door before her parents could enact their punishment against her. As she made her way to the exit, she approached Lincoln, who had just walked downstairs to start the day…

Lincoln: "What's all the ruckus down here?" he asked oblivious to what had just happened.

Lynn: "OUTTA THE WAY, STINKOLN!" she yelled as she barged past him, knocking him over in the process.

Lynn then left the house and ran off in a fit of rage, leaving the front door wide open.

Lincoln: "Jeez. What's her problem?!"

Lynn Sr: "I'm not sure, son, But she's in trouble for this!"

And he was right, but what he didn't know was just how much trouble she was in. That little scuffle between her and Lori was only the beginning; a mere taster of what was yet to come. Lynn herself wasn't even sure of what she was going to do at that point. The enhancer she swallowed was really starting to take effect on her, and it was showing. After she'd left the house, there was only one place she could go to set herself straight and concentrate her emotions; her next sports game.

Lynn: "Ugh! What a bunch of dorks! They don't know how to satisfy my needs for competition and fun. I guess I'll go and take out my frustrations in today's soccer game!" she concluded.

And with that, Lynn began walking to soccer. But she realised something strange. What started off as walking…slowly transformed into race walking. Then her need to increase speed went up again… and she started jogging.

Lynn: "YEAH! LET'S BURN A FEW CALORIES WHILE I GET READY FOR THE GAME!" she screamed to herself at the top of her lungs while jogging, startling a couple walking their dog who were nearby.

But even jogging became too little for Lynn. Her energy levels were rising and rising, as was her need to keep moving faster. She began to sprint at full speed, all the way up a long, steep hill.

Lynn: "PUSH IT HARDER! PUSH IT HARDER!" she yelled at herself as she continued to force her way up the hill as fast as her light little body and short limbs could physically take her.

For any normal person, this would have been enough to make them burn out and tire. But this was Lynn Loud Jr, a girl with extraordinary levels of fitness and stamina. If there was anyone who could put their body through this, and still have plenty left in the tank, it was her.

Lynn managed, with difficulty, to make it up the hill without stopping, and then she finally paused and regained her breath. She then slowed down as she had temporarily satisfied her need for speed and adrenaline. But not for long…

Soon after, she had made it to her destination, and her teammates were there to greet her.

Margo: "Hey Lynnsanity, we saw you running down here. That was some pretty sick speed there!"

Lynn: "I know. That's why I'm number one!" she bragged.

Margo: "Well, let's hope that you still have enough energy left. We'll need you at your best if we're gonna beat today's competition. This team is the best in the state!" she said, before leaving to prepare for the game.

Lynn (to herself): "Don't you worry, I'm pretty sure I'll be bringing my A-Game!" she told her friends with the upmost confidence.

For all her worries that day, that was one thing she didn't need to worry about. She could already feel the high level of energy the enhancement she had taken had given her. She knew that wouldn't be a problem…

And sure enough, Lynn blitzed her way through the game. She was running circles around the other players, completely dominating the game. Everyone else on the field was dumbfounded as to how she could move so fast for so long. And it wasn't just her speed. Her reflexes, her endurance, her power, everything. It was all so much greater than it had any right to be, coming from a 13-year-old girl. Come the end of the game, the score was thus…

Announcer: "And that's the match! The Royal Woods Team have won 19-0. Give it up for the MVP of the match, with 16 goals, Lynn Loud Jr!"

Lynn's team in unison: "LYNNSANITY! LYNNSANITY!"

And as those roars of praise continued, Lynn only felt her spirits rise and levels of joy amplify. She had never felt so good in her life. She was the centrepiece of the entire arena. She was loving every moment of it…

Margo: "Hey, everyone! Let's get the champ up on our shoulders!"

After everyone was done praising the star athlete, the team returned to the locker room, while Lynn quickly walked outside for some fresh air…

Lynn (to herself): "Wow, that was AWESOME! At risk of sounding like Lori, this is LITERALLY the BEST day of my life!"

Coach: "Glad to hear it." Said the familiar voice of the mentor from out of Lynn's field of view.

Coach Henry then walked around the corner so Lynn could see him.

Lynn: "Hi, Coach Henry. What are you doing here?!" she asked, suspicious of why her baseball coach was hanging around when she had just come out of a soccer game, which was with a totally different association.

Coach: "Oh, I just decided to come and watch your little soccer game." He chuckled.

Lynn: "You were watching?" she asked surprised.

Coach: "Yes, I wanted to see if my performance enhancer test was a success. Well?"

Lynn: "Well what?"

Coach: "Was it?" he asked with a smug grin on his face.

Lynn: "Yeah, it was." She admitted with a slight hint of regret, as if she didn't want to admit he was right.

Coach: "I told you. These enhancers will do you wonders in the sports world, kid. And that was just one day. Think about what you could achieve if you decided to take a whole course of these things!" he excitedly encouraged her.

Lynn: "Yeah, um, about that. I need to talk to you about these pills." She brought up nervously.

Coach: "Yeah, what about them?!" he asked sternly.

Lynn: "It's just that, this morning, my emotions were getting a little bit unstable. I'm pretty aggressive and short tempered on my best days, but today I was just downright deranged! I even attacked my sister for no good reason whatsoever!"

Coach: "Eh, that must be just a minor effect of the enhancers. I'm sure with an exercise of will power, you'll easily be able to control your emotions." He assured.

Lynn: "I dunno. I'm not sure if it's a good idea to risk it." She said, uncertain of what to do.

Coach: "Come on, kid! Not this again! I gave you the pill, you took it, and it made you better than ever! It just gave you the game of your life! Why aren't you listening to me, Loud?!"

Lynn backed off as her coach began to show irritation with her defiance. She could tell he was trying to intimidate and guilt trip her into doing what he wanted, and wanted to do something about it…

…but she also knew the enhancer she had taken that previous morning had tremendous advantages concerning her aspirations for sports.

Furthermore, they had proven their advantages, as they had just made an elite athlete out of a little teenage girl. All her attributes were sky high. She adored every minute of playing sports while under the effects of the supplements she had been given. So much so that her judgement was clouded.

Lynn: "Yeah, you're right. I'm sorry, I'm just being ungrateful. I'll do whatever you say, you know what's best for me." She blurted out in a moment of weakness, giving into his influence.

Coach: "There's a good girl. Now it's time I gave you your reward."

The coach then pulled out of his pocket a small container, no doubt containing a large quantity of the same performance enhancer pills to the one he provided her with the day before.

Coach: "Take one a day, there should be about a hundred of them in there. Come back to me when you need more. I care about you, Loud. I want you to succeed in life. That's why I'm giving these to you. Consider them a gift." He told her as he placed his hand on her shoulder, as a way to comfort and reassure her.

He then handed the container to his student, knowing she wouldn't be able to resist the temptation. Not after she had already tasted a glimpse of its benefits, even just once…

Coach: "Now run along, Loud. See you for practice later this week. You take care, now." He said before walking away.

Lynn then pocketed the container before re-entering the locker room…

Margo: "Hey, Lynnsanity, what were you doing out there?"

Lynn: "Oh, um, just stretching. You know what they say, you can get injured if you don't stretch after exercise."

Margo was unconvinced but wasn't so curious as to push Lynn about the subject any further. She simply resumed packing her stuff and getting ready to head home…

Lynn: "So, see you guys." She passively said before leaving the locker room with her sports bag.

Lynn (to herself): "I hope the coach is right, and I can control my emotions when I'm on this stuff." She stated as she worried nervously.

 _But unfortunately for Lynn, these things never go as smoothly as that, do they? This is only the beginning of her downward spiral, there is much worse to come. Of course, Lynn being Lynn, it didn't take much to cause her to go over the top anyway. The pill she took only amplified faults in her character, like her aggression and competitive drive, that she already had._

 _But I guess that's why someone like her would be chosen by the coach to be the one to try out the supplements, because she's so competitive and driven to win._

 _Hopefully my story is entertaining you/capturing your interest. I believe the subject matter, while arguably a little darker than what you would typically expect from an episode of the show, isn't anything too overly inappropriate. Also, I hope my writing style isn't too distracting or off-putting, as that's another criticism someone gave me the other day. As always, criticism, as long as it's constructive and not fuelled by anger or negative, impulsive emotion, is welcome._

 _Chapter 3 will be uploaded within a week. Not sure exactly what day. Until then, take care._


	3. A Toxic Routine

**Chapter 3: A Toxic Routine**

 _We're about halfway through the build-up part of the story, which will show Lynn's gradual decline in healthy mentality as she begins to develop unsociable and even criminal tendencies. I don't wish to rush this part of the story, since it's an integral part of the overall narrative._

 _Let's see what happens as Lynn continues to take more of the pills which Coach Henry provided her with in the previous chapter. It can't end well for her, that's for sure. Some of you are probably wondering why the coach gave her the supplements in the first place, questioning why he would just sabotage her sports career and her own mental health for seemingly no reason. Well, there is a rather significant motivation behind his actions, but you need to be patient. All will be revealed in good time. Remember, aspects to consider when working on a narrative storytelling type project include how you will add suspense as well as surprise into a story. Naturally, I'm not just going to spoil significant plot points and twists right now._

 _You'll just have to keep reading, so why not do so right now? Let's get started with chapter 3._

The sporty tomboy had returned home late after her standout soccer game, and having drained herself of her energy all day whilst under the effects of the pill, had begun to grow tired.

Lucy: "Lynn, where have you been?" she asked from her coffin as her older sister entered the bedroom and fell on her bed.

Lynn: "Soccer Practice." She replied, with her head buried in her bed cover.

Lucy: "Mom and Dad were really mad with you earlier! They said if you did something like that again, you'll be grounded indefinitely."

Lynn: "Whatever, I'm going to sleep. Night." She concluded, wanting the conversation to end as she had ran out of energy.

Lucy then looked over at the shattered and exhausted sports girl, lying face first on her bed. She was worried for her sister, and she was right to be worried.

Lynn woke up the following morning, and the process repeated. She consumed one of the pills with her breakfast, and following the consumption, her anger and rage levels went through the roof. Contrary to what her coach told her, she wasn't gaining more control of her emotional spikes either…

They were getting worse.

As the days passed, Lynn's emotional state continued to deteriorate. With each passing day, her anger and aggression was taking a dramatic increase, and not just at home, but also during her games…

 ** _Day two:_** _In the morning, after breakfast, Lynn accidentally bumped into Luan while on her way out the door. Luan went to apologise, but before she could, Lynn grabbed her by the ponytail, swung her around the living room, and then threw her into a wall, hurting her._

 _Later that afternoon, Lynn was playing football. One of her teammates didn't pass the ball to her when it was beneficial, and that error cost Lynn's team points against the opposition. Lynn took out her frustration by picking up the football and throwing it into her teammate's face, knocking her down. Lynn was kicked out of the match for unsportsmanlike conduct… against one of her own teammates._

 ** _Day three:_** _In the morning, after breakfast, Lynn was carrying a basketball outside of her room and across the hallway, when one of Lisa's dangerous science flasks came flying from out of her room, and the flask landed on the ball. The glass containing the acidic substance shattered, and the liquid dissolved Lynn's cherished possession. While in the right to be angry, Lynn took her anger to exaggerated levels. She walked over to Lisa, gave her an atomic wedgie, and then suplexed the 4 year old through her experiments table._

 _Later that day, Lynn was playing basketball, with another ball, with a close circle of her friends at the local park, though they were playing with a different ball since Lynn's was destroyed. One of her friends was able to outmanoeuvre her during one point in the game, and score against her. In a moment of losing control, Lynn let her rage loose and executed a takedown to her friend, before performing a submission hold and not letting go even when the other person was tapping out and squealing in pain. The other friends had to pull it apart._

 ** _Day four:_** _In the morning, after breakfast, Lynn wanted to play wrestling with Lincoln. He refused, opting to play video games instead. Lynn's treatment of Lincoln usually wasn't perfect anyway. She had a tendency to be rough with him, but she usually had her limits. But this time, she couldn't control herself. She picked up her baseball bat, followed Lincoln back to his room, and then ran over to her younger brother. She tried to knock him out with the bat. Lincoln ran away, terrified of the sports jock, while Lynn chased in relentless pursuit. Even by Lynn's standards, she had really crossed the line at that moment. The only thing that stopped her from hitting her brother and giving him a savage beating was him managing to run behind Lynn Sr and Rita, who ordered Lynn to drop the bat and retreat to her room._

 _Later that day, Lynn was grounded for attempting pummel her brother. But she had her boxing lesson coming up that evening, so she used her ninja skills to escape out of her bedroom window and then make it to the ground safely. Later, Lynn arrived at boxing, and was eager to spar in the ring with a suitable match. Lynn was paired against another girl, and the two began sparring. The other girl was a technical fighter, but Lynn just came at her with a ferocious assault. Lynn eventually cornered her opponent and dished out a furious series of power shots to her head and body. The instructor could see Lynn had her beat and called for Lynn to stop, but the Loud girl would not listen. She continued to beat the other girl to a pulp. Everyone else in the gym had to pull Lynn off her opponent before she ended up hospitalised. Lynn was then sent home in disgrace._

 ** _Day five:_** _Lynn was still grounded, and had a padlock placed on her bedroom window, so she wouldn't be able to escape and play sports that day, which only exacerbated her anger problem. Especially since she was still allowed breakfast, and so still ended up taking one of her daily enhancer pills. Because she couldn't leave her room, it was unlucky Lucy's turn to feel her wrath…_

Lucy: "Lynn, leave me alone! I'm wallowing in pain inside my coffin, just how I like it."

Lynn: "Aw, come on, Luce. Mom and Dad have grounded me, so I need someone to play sports with in here!"

Lucy: "You brought it on yourself, now just leave me alone and settle down, for once!"

Lucy then sat back in her coffin, but Lynn wasn't having it…

Lynn: "Okay, arm wrestle!" she demanded, placing her arm on Lucy's coffin and waiting for her sister to accept the challenge.

Lucy then slowly sat up, placed her arm in position, and then let Lynn win the challenge with ease, so as to satisfy her sporty sister.

Lucy: "There. You win." She stated, before lying back down in her coffin.

Lynn: "Come on! You weren't even trying!"

Lucy: "Can't you tell I'm just not interested in your little games?" she asked irritated.

Lynn: "Oh no you don't, little miss sunshine! We're not done yet!"

Lucy: "Of course not." She snarked.

Lynn: "Lucha Libre!" she shouted as she put on her wrestling mask and waited for Lucy to respond.

Lucy: "Pass." Was the simple reply that came from that.

Lynn: "How about a game of who can do the most push-ups?!" she asked as she took off her mask.

Lucy: "How about no?" she responded.

Lynn: "Sit-ups?!"

Lucy: "Sit down."

Lynn: "Pillow fight?!" she desperately requested.

Lucy: "No, but you can use the pillow for its intended purpose, and go to sleep. It would probably help."

Fed up with Lucy's resistance to her demands and snarky responses, Lynn snapped and went ballistic, which unfortunately was all too typical for her during that week…

Lynn: "DARN IT, LUCE! Why are you rejecting me!? Can't you see that I NEED YOU TO CHALLENGE ME!?"

Lucy wasn't exactly the outwardly emotional type, but she was struggling to hold in the fear she was experiencing at that moment. She was usually able to hold her own in a fight against Lynn, when the situation wasn't that serious…

…but this time, Lynn was truly mad, and dangerous. Lucy did not want to find out what could happen to her if she got on the bad side of her jock sister when she was in that state of mind.

Lucy: "Lynn, please just leave me alone." She pleaded, holding back the nervousness.

But Lynn wasn't thinking reasonably or rationally at that moment, as she was under the influence of the performance enhancer she had taken that morning…

Lynn: "FIGHT ME!"

Lucy: "What?"

Lynn: "LET'S HAVE A BARE-KNUCKLE FIGHT!"

Lucy: "Why would I do that?"

Lynn: "COME ON! BARE-KNUCKLE FIGHT! YOU, ME! LET'S GO!"

Lucy: "No, please just stop it!" she begged, no longer able to hold back the tears of fear.

Lynn: "Come on, you pale, skinny, dorky little freak! If you won't accept any of my other challenges, then you're left with only one option. Now raise your hands… AND FIGHT ME YOU LITTLE WUSS!"

Lynn then rushed towards Lucy, who quickly retreated inside her coffin and sealed the door shut from the inside. But Lynn wasn't going to let that stop her. Using her physical strength, enraged state of mind, and rush of adrenaline that was resulting from it, Lynn grabbed onto the lid of Lucy's coffin and physically ripped it off, terrifying the young goth in the process.

Lucy: "Just stay away from me!"

Lynn: "COWARD!"

Lynn then reached for the nearest heavy object in the room, which happened to by Edwin. Normally whenever Edwin was involved, Lucy would be all too quick but to fight Lynn over him. They'd had plenty of scuffles in the past concerning times when Lucy thought Lynn had damaged her cherished possession…

…but this was different. Lucy's immense fear for her sister's livid actions was enough to cancel out any other thoughts she might have had at that moment. All she could do at that point was curl up in a ball and try to shield herself from the damage her sister was about to inflict.

But as Lynn prepared to strike her sister with the heavy stone object, Lynn Sr, Rita and the other siblings entered the room, having heard all the commotion coming from the two middle children.

Rita: "Lynn Loud Junior! Just what are you doing?!"

Lynn Sr: "LJ! Put down that head, NOW!"

Lynn: "Or what?! You already grounded me! And stopped me from playing all my sports!"

Lynn Sr: "Yeah, well, I'll just have to think of something more drastic!"

Lynn: "Whatever. You jerks don't scare me!" she bit back, challenging the authority of her father.

Rita: "That does it! Lynn Jr, you're going on my knees!" she declared as she raised her hand, making it clear that she intended to spank her disobedient child, in front of her siblings.

Lynn: "Oh… that's the way it is, is it?" she asked and paused.

Rita: "That's right, young lady! If you won't listen to your parents, and insist on behaving like this, then I have no other choices."

Lynn Sr: "You know your mother and I don't usually agree with punishments like this, but you need to get what you deserve!"

Rita: "Now, I'm going to sit down, and you're going to lay over and take your punishment!" she stated as she walked over to Lynn's bed and sat down.

Lynn Jr was not in a compliant state of mind, given her enraged and riled up mood. For a moment, she actually thought of following her mother's orders. But then she overheard her siblings whispering in the background while she was being confronted by her parents…

Lola: "Wow, they're really gonna do it, aren't they?"

Lori: "It looks like it. Can't say Lynn doesn't deserve it, though."

Lana: "Yeah, she's been acting really mean and aggressive, lately."

Luna: "You mean, more than usual?"

Lisa: "I concur with Luna. Lynn's temper and trigger for violent altercations were already at a dangerously high level. Recent events have just tipped her over the boundaries!"

Lincoln: "That's right! And I thought Lynn couldn't get any more aggressive before this week!"

As Lynn overheard her siblings discussing what they saw, the last ounces of respectful obedience and reasonable thought in her head were gone. She found the current predicament she was in too demeaning and humiliating. She wasn't about to let her mom and dad embarrass her in front of all her siblings. She decided it was time to make it known who was boss…

Lynn: "Make me."

Rita: "What did you say, young lady?!"

Lynn: "I SAID MAKE ME!"

Lynn Sr: "Lynn Jr, listen to your mother!"

Lynn: "NOT A CHANCE!"

Lynn Sr: "Right! You come here, you little…" he said as he reached towards his defiant daughter and tried to force her to lay down on her mother's legs so she could take her punishment.

And in the midst of the struggle, Lynn Jr decided to make short work of her father, by aiming straight for the plums. She delivered a solid kick to the groin area…

Lynn Sr: "ARGH!" he screamed in pain.

The kick was enough to send Lynn Sr to the floor. Rita then got up and tried to grab Lynn Jr, but she managed to avoid her mother's grasp. Lynn Jr then raced for the door of the bedroom and sprinted right past her siblings, who all looked on at what just happened in utter shock…

Rita: "LYNN JUNIOR! GET BACK HERE RIGHT NOW!"

Rita, Lynn Sr (once he regained himself) and the children then all ran down the stairs and followed Lynn as she walked outside and headed for her bike, which she had since recovered from the day she forgot it after baseball practice.

Rita: "Where do you think you're going?!"

Lynn: "Anywhere but here!"

Lori: "Listen to mom and dad and get back inside!"

Lynn: "NO WAY! I'm done with this house! You're all just so weak and scrawny and frilly, it makes me sick! I never wanted to be a part of this dumb family anyway!"

Lincoln: "Lynn, we know you don't mean that." He said as he tried to make her see reason.

Lynn: "SHUT UP, STINKOLN! You know, you're the most disappointing to me. The others are dumb, prissy, girly runts, but you, you're supposed to be my brother! You're supposed to play sports with me, play wrestling, have a rough and tumble personality that matches my own! You're supposed to be someone that can play on my level!"

Lincoln: "Well, I'm sorry I couldn't be the boy you wanted me to be! Actually, I'm not sorry! Not all boys have to be rude, gross, rough and tough guys who dogpile and fart on each other all the time! Lord knows I've had nightmares about that kind of thing!"

Lynn: "Whatever! You're just a weakling, bro!"

Lincoln: "Is that why you picked on me all those times?! Because you were mad that I didn't live up to your hopes and expectations of what a brother was in your eyes!"

Lynn: "I dunno, I thought I could toughen you up for the big bad world!"

Lincoln: "I did toughen up, Lynn. Remember what happened with Viribus and the school a few months ago?!"

Lynn: "WHO CARES?! You're still a nerdy little weakling to me! I'm done with you, and the rest of those jerks next to you! You hear me… I'M OUTTA HERE! AND THERE'S NOT A THING ANY OF YOU CAN DO TO STOP ME!"

Lincoln then tried one last attempt to convince his hostile sister to calm down and stay…

Lincoln: "Lynn, please just come inside so we can talk." He requested as he slowly approached his violent sister as she got on her bike.

Lynn: "DON'T TOUCH ME OR I'LL PUT YOU IN THE HOSPITAL!" she threatened as Lincoln got near her.

Lincoln: "Lynn! Stop!" he pushed on, showing he did have a bit of a backbone after all, and wasn't going to shut up so easily.

But his efforts were in vein. Lynn had lost any sense of calm or reason in her head at that moment. Her anger, aided by the influence of the performance enhancers, had pushed her over the edge.

Lynn Sr: "LYNN JUNIOR! COME BACK!" he shouted as she cycled up the road and away from the house…

…but to no avail.

She was gone. Now the rest of the world had to deal with her trouble.

 _Well, Lynn is in serious trouble with her family, and considering her state of mind, it appears it won't be long before she's in trouble with the law, too. It looks like soon enough, she will be serving a sentence. It won't be long until that happens now. But what will she do to go over the top of break the law? Find out in the next chapter._

 _By the way, some people are finding my writing style to be weird and distracting somehow. But here's the thing. I write my stories and their chapters in a format that is essentially an amalgamation of a traditional story book, with slight elements of being a written script for a TV episode/movie as well. The reason for this is very simple. I do not design my FanFictions to just be fanfics for the sake of fanfics. I write these stories in such a way that they could feasibly be adapted into actual episodes (or more realistically, extended special episodes) of the show. To be honest, I don't see why a slightly different writing style as opposed to the norm needs to be that distracting. It's only distracting if one chooses to be distracted or annoyed by it. As such, this is the writing format I choose to work with, as I like to write stories in a way that they could actually be real episodes. Hopefully, it's not something that anyone feels the need to consider a deal-breaker in regard to their invested interest. I don't see why it needs to be (besides, classic literature like the Harry Potter books, for example, use the same sort of writing style, and nobody complained there)._

 _Anyway, that's all for now. Be back for chapter 4, coming soon, after I finish posting my reactions to next week's new episodes on DeviantArt._


	4. Consequences

**Chapter 4: Consequences**

 _Right, after a few weeks of being busy with not only new episode reactions but also other life stuff to deal with, I'm back with the 4th chapter for this story. Hopefully, there won't be such large gaps between the uploading of other chapters in the future. But of course, sometimes other major commitments take priority. But now I can carry on. Now the setup is going to start making some progress, as Lynn is at the point where she's going against the constraints of the law._

 _Let's get started with this one._

As she wandered the streets of an unknown neighbourhood alone, Lynn Loud Jr knew she had really messed up. She knew from the moment her coach handed her those performance enhancers that they were trouble, and she would end up paying the price for taking them. That's exactly what happened. She spent the last week antagonising and alienating everyone in her lives, from her parents and siblings, to her teammates and fellow sports players. To top it all off, she had just made the choice to run away from home. And if she ever returned, she would be in a whole world of trouble…

…but she wasn't thinking about anything in a reasonable way. All she could concentrate on at that moment was right there and then. All she knew was that she needed some fresh air and quiet.

As Lynn travelled on her customised bike, all sorts of thoughts gathered and circled inside the realm of her mind. The terrible things she had done. The people she had let down. The consequences she would be dealt with because of her actions. Above all else, what kind of person she was. And she wasn't just thinking about since she started taking the pills, but all the months of rough and aggressive behaviour prior to that, as well. She knew that, pills or no pills, she wasn't exactly a saint. She was guilty of rancid and violent behaviour towards others even when she wasn't under the influence of any substance.

Lynn (to herself): "This is all my fault! I never should've agreed to take those enhancement supplements. I should've said no! Now I'm going crazy!" she stated as she struggled to hold back tears.

As Lynn continued to ride on her cycle, she encountered a group of kids, around Lincoln's age, just sitting down and hanging out on a bench near the sidewalk. They appeared to be finding something quite amusing at that moment.

Kid group: "Ha ha ha ha ha ha ha!"

Their laughter was beginning to irritate the already riled up sports girl. Lynn didn't know exactly why they were laughing, but given her irrational and short-tempered mindset at that moment, she began to suspect the laughter was aimed in her direction.

Lynn (to herself): "Who are those punks laughing at?!"

As they continued to emit laughter, Lynn began to think the worst. She began having brief yet powerful flashbacks to her time as a victim of bullying. She concluded the kids on that bench, much like the ones at middle school, must have been laughing at her. That was the only explanation. After all, Lynn was no stranger to being the butt of a joke. The reason why she became such a violent and tough kid in the first place was because of people laughing at her with cruel intent in middle school. In her mind, there was no reason to think it was any different in this specific case…

…but she knew her reaction would be different. She didn't let bullies torment her, not anymore.

Lynn: "Hey, you kids want something to laugh about?!" she asked as she approached the group.

Lynn then picked up her bike with little effort, and bashed it around one of the kid's faces. The other three kids screamed in terror as it was clear the older girl was dangerous, and was about to inflict some serious damage on them. Lynn leaped towards one of the other kids and tackled him to the ground. She then delivered a series of hard hitting strikes to the face, stunning the poor child. The other 2 were running for their lives, but Lynn, being the incredibly fit athlete she was, easily managed to run after them and catch up.

One of the children actually tried to throw a punch to Lynn's face, but she grabbed it with ease and decided to play a cruel gag against her opponent.

Lynn: "Why are you hitting yourself!? Why are you hitting yourself?!" she repeated as she forced him to continue hitting his own face with his hand, adding insult to injury.

The fourth and final child then tried to grab Lynn from behind and choke her out. Unfortunately for them, Lynn was an experienced fighter, and managed to reverse their choke attempt into a hip throw. As the kid slowly started to get up from the ground, Lynn ran up and punted them in the side of the head, knocking them out.

Lynn: "Yeah! That's how it's done!" she shouted while breathing heavily.

She was proud of what she had done. As far as she was concerned, she had just triumphed in spectacular fashion against the likes of a foursome of bullying jerks. Indeed, it was a noble accomplishment on her part. All that was left was to rub the victory in her opponent's faces, make it clear to them who was boss…

Lynn: "That's right, Jerks! I'm Lynn Loud Junior, and I'm the toughest kid around! I deal with punks like you every day in Middle School, that's why I became who I am today! You jokers are just scum! Now, let me make something painfully clear… NO ONE LAUGHS AT ME!"

She then backed off from the kid she was screaming at, and began to slowly back away from the battlefield she was just on…

Lynn (to herself): "Not anymore!" she reassured to her own psyche.

…and then she looked over near where one of the kids she just defeated was lying in pain, and their iPhone was on the ground. She picked up the phone and saw that the kids were halfway through watching a humorous road rage clip on the internet.

Lynn (to herself): "Oh… so that's what they were laughing at." She awkwardly reflected.

Feeling guilty, Lynn went over to apologise to the kids for needlessly harming them, but she then looked over to the distance. She saw an adult dialling on their phone from the corner of her eye. Her savage assault was witnessed by at least one neighbour in the area…

Lynn: "Ut-oh." She said as she saw her act of violence had been witnessed.

…she had to make a run for it. She was now in trouble with the law. Whatever trouble she was already in, was amplified up to eleven.

Lynn ran and ran. She went as far and fast as her little body could take her, which was still quite far given her fitness level. She eventually ran out of breath and stopped in the middle of a dark alley, where she likely wouldn't be spotted.

Lynn (to herself): "Oh my god! What have I done?! What should I do now?! I can't keep running forever, but I can't go to prison either!"

She then began recollecting all the despicable things she had done over the course of the past week. All the acts of violence and terrorising, all just because she lost control of her emotions. Those pills her coach had supplied her with were nothing but trouble.

Lynn (to herself): "This is all YOUR fault!" she yelled at the container of pills she just pulled out of her pocket.

She still had them with her. They weren't something she could just leave around or dispose of easily. That's why she was addicted to them. After having taken them just once, Lynn had a dependence for them, a deep wired need to keep taking them and reaping their benefits… even if they were far more trouble than they were worth.

She felt like throwing the container away, but for all her physical ability, she lacked the mental strength to overcome her unhealthy addiction. She placed the container back in her pocket, unable to separate herself from the toxic influence that was plaguing her.

As she raised her head to observe her surroundings, Lynn spotted something in the corner of her eye…

Lynn: "Coach Henry?!" she asked startled.

The figure in the distance that she assumed to be her coach then began to retreat. But Lynn was in pursuit…

Lynn: "Hey, wait up!" she told the ambiguous figure.

She chased him down the street, slowly catching up to the disguised individual.

Lynn: "COACH?!" she asked, wanting to know if it was him.

Lynn then collided with someone, but it wasn't the figure she was chasing. It was a police officer, the last sort of person she wanted to run into at that moment.

Officer: "Lynn Loud Junior, you are under arrest!" he stated as he pulled out his pair of handcuffs.

Lynn: "What? NO!" she reacted as she tried to run away, but another officer was standing behind her.

The duo of cops then quickly wrestled a surprised Lynn to the ground and placed the handcuffs on her. She was powerless to stop them from taking her away.

After she was taken to the car, she tried to quickly look for that figure she was chasing one last time. She observed in the distance, the figure that she had spotted, and her suspicions were confirmed. It was her coach. The one responsible for everything that had happened.

Lynn: "Hey, guys! You might want to look over there. That guy is the one you really want! He's the one who… er, who made me do all those things!" she insisted, remembering that she didn't want to admit that she was taking performance enhancers.

Officer: "Likely story, you just want to distract us so you can make an escape! We're not stupid."

Officer 2: "Look at this." He said as he reached into Lynn's pocket.

Lynn: "HEY!" she yelled as she objected to the cop searching her.

The container was then pulled out of her pocket.

Officer: "Drugs! Why am I not surprised?" he remarked.

Lynn: "Give those back!"

Officer: "We'll use these as evidence in court."

Lynn: "Court!?" she asked in fear, which was succeeded with an audible gulp.

Elsewhere, the Loud family was reflecting on the events which had just transpired between themselves and Lynn, unaware that the situation was about to become much worse…

Leni: "I can't believe she just got on her bike and rode off like that!"

Lori: "I can't believe she kicked dad in the… peanuts!"

Lynn Sr: "Well, when she finally wises up and comes home, she'll be in a world of trouble! You can believe that!"

Lucy: "I know Lynn is a ruffian normally, but I've never seen her a bad as she is today. She's never scared me so much in my life."

Lincoln: "And what about me? The other day, Lynn tried to beat me to death with a baseball bat!"

Lynn Sr: "Hey Kids! It's not a competition… but if it is, I totally won. A shot to the nuts beats a little scare."

Rita: "Look, maybe there's a perfectly good reason for why Lynn is behaving this way." She tried to argue in defence of her daughter.

Luna: "Yeah, but does that excuse everything she's been doing?! Threatening Lucy and Lincoln, manhandling us like we're pieces of meat!? Berating us in front of the whole neighbourhood!?"

Lincoln: "I don't know. I know that behind her rough front, she's just a little girl who feels she isn't appreciated or accepted in the world. I think we should give her a chance, at least to explain herself." He stated sympathetically.

Lola: "But that's no excuse!" she argued back.

Lisa: "I concur with Lola. Lynn's tragic experiences must not excuse her from the negative judgement that her rancid actions deserve."

Lola: "Yeah! Besides, aren't you the one who she tried to attack just yesterday?!" she questioned her brother.

Lincoln: "Yes, you're right. I'm not saying she hasn't done wrong, and I've been on the wrong end of her anger and her rough ways before, but I also know what a messed up emotional state can make you do. I haven't always made the greatest decisions, as you guys know, but I'm still here. We just need to hear Lynn's side of the story and maybe we can come to an understanding."

Luna: "I dunno, bro. What about you, Luce?" she asked her younger sister.

Lucy: "Lynn can be annoying, sometimes she's a brat. She's an egotistical, rough, selfish kid. She's also my sister, I know she'd always be there to stand my ground if I needed her and she's always there to listen and help out when I have a problem. As her roommate, I know some things about her that she might not have told all of you. I know she's not a bad person deep down. And… I love her… please don't ever tell her I said that."

Luan: "You do have a way with words, sis. No wonder you beat me to performing at the Royal Woods Theatre."

Lola: "Eh, I'm still sceptical."

Lana: "No surprises there." She remarked.

Lincoln: "Look, let's just wait and see what she has to say for herself when she gets back. She won't stay out there forever. She'll know she has to come home, and then…"

But before he could finish his sentence, the phone started ringing, prompting Lynn Sr to answer…

Lynn Sr: "Loud residence."

The other Louds then looked on as Lynn Sr's facial expressions and vocal tone told the whole story, despite only being able to listen to one half of the conversation…

Lynn Sr: "SHE WHAT?!"

That reaction caused the family to collectively adopt a shocked look on their faces. They knew something was seriously wrong.

Lynn Sr: "I understand… yes, we're on our way." He finalised before putting the phone down.

Rita: "What is it, honey?"

Lynn Sr's head was hung in shame and disappointment, but he finally managed to raise his head, look his wife and children in the eyes, and tell them…

Lynn Sr: "It' LJ. She's been arrested. She could be facing months in juvie!"

And with that sentence, the spirit of the whole Loud family was crushed.

 _Well, we all knew this was coming. As the description of the fanfic probably gave away right from the start, Lynn will be facing time on the inside. Her only chance of dodging the bullet will be a successful result in her favour during the upcoming trial, which will be the next part of the story and the conclusion of the setup. Just a little teaser as to what's coming up next._

 _Anyway, I know my work has been receiving a lot of criticism regarding issues such as dialogue, exposition, the storybook/script format and tonal contrasts, and while I am open to such critical feedback and opinions, and I appreciate that you all have the right to state your opinions and some of you even have proven track records and experience to justify your perspectives, I also need to be honest. I'm not so sure I agree with all the points that have been made against my story. But I won't elaborate too much on that here. Let's just say that if you plan on writing a review for this chapter, I would suggest reading one of my uploads from my DeviantArt called 'Understanding FanFiction Criticism' first._

 _That's all for now. I don't know when I'm going to upload the next chapter. Probably in a couple of weeks since I'm going to be very busy with other aspects of life and other commitments between now and then._


	5. Trial of a Troublemaker

**Chapter 5: Trial of a Troublemaker**

 _Alright. Here we go with chapter 5, where the trial begins for the little sports nut. Upon discussion with certain users, I have decided to conduct a format experiment. Due to recurring criticisms with not only the writing style resembling a script, but also some other factors, I have decided to tweak my draft for chapter 5 so it is more befitting of what I'm told is the traditional way FanFiction users write their stories._

 _So, let's see how this plays out. Let's see what's in store for Lynn Jr as she prepares to defend herself in front of a judge and jury._

The Loud family were on a journey to get to the police station as fast as they could, after having received a call from the local law enforcement that Lynn had been arrested. While obeying speed limits and traffic laws, the Louds aimed to see their daughter and sister again as soon as possible.

"I can't believe little Lynn has been arrested!" Rita said.

"And not just for one little thing, but for assault, bodily harm, and taking illegal supplements!" Lori added.

"At least that last thing explains a lot about the way she's been acting this week!" Lincoln deduced.

"Yeah, I mean she's a brute normally, but this week she's really taken it to another level!" Lola said.

"I've been legitimately scared to be her roommate the last few days… and not in a good way." Lucy clarified.

"Well, dad, at least now you won't have to come up with a new, better punishment for her, since grounding didn't do the job!" said Lana.

"Don't say that, sweetie. She'll be coming back with us soon enough!" Lynn Sr insisted to his daughter.

"What are you basing that on, dad?" was the question his daughter Luan immediately followed with.

"She has a point, what about when she ends up in court? What sentence is she going to get?!" Rita asked.

"You don't think they're going to take it all the way to the court?!" Leni questioned.

"It's probable. Lynn has desecrated several laws in a very short duration. Violence, abuse of drugs and antisocial behaviour can result in serious sentences." Lisa deducted.

"Oh no, Lynn!" Lincoln blurted out, worried about his sister.

"Look, let's not speculate. We'll know more when we get to the station!" Lynn Sr concluded to the others.

But while the Loud family continued their journey, Lynn Jr was trapped in a cell, following her arrest, left to dwell on recent events.

She began recollecting the conversation from earlier that day, when she first arrived at the station and was being interrogated by a pair of officers over what she had done…

* * *

 _"So, Lynn Loud Jr. Why did you attack those children? Witnesses of the incident said they did nothing to provoke you, you just went over and gave 4 kids younger than yourself a vicious beating! Do you deny this being the truth?" asked the first officer._

 _"*Silence*"_

 _"Answer the question!" demanded the second officer._

 _"No." was the simple, monotonous response from the young girl._

 _"So you admit to having committed an assault against 4 small children? That's a pretty serious offence. What do you have to say for yourself?" the first officer asked._

 _"*Silence*"_

 _Lynn remembered that her sitting in silence while the aggressors constantly asked questions and put pressure on her to confess to her crimes as being the bulk of the conversation. She couldn't say a lot that wouldn't land her in more trouble. She felt she could most likely get away with it if she kept as quiet as possible. She remembered another part of the discussion…_

 _"A small container of sports enhancers was also found in your pocket at the moment of arrest. It is suspected these were negatively influencing your behaviour to be more violent and unpredictable than usual. We believe you were under their influence at the moment of the assault. Is this correct? Did you take any of the pills found in your possession the morning before the incident?" asked the first officer._

 _"*Silence*"_

 _"Refusing to co-operate will only land you in further trouble, little miss!" the other officer added._

 _"Yes, I did." Said Lynn, still in a calm and reserved manner._

 _"Someone your age couldn't have got these by herself. Someone must have given them to you. I would like a name of the person who supplied the pills to you." The first officer stated._

 _"Coach Henry." Lynn said, giving as straight forward an answer as possible._

 _"I'll need more than that, kid!" the first officer told her, wanting more information._

 _"His name is Henry Fredricks. He's the coach of my baseball team. He gave them to me." The young sports nut told them._

 _"Well, if that's what you say, then we'll investigate into that. As for you, you will remain here until your appointment in court!"_

* * *

But Lynn's recollecting then came to a halt as someone came to her cell door…

"Loud, you have visitors!" the warden told the girl inside her cell.

Lynn did have visitors, a lot of them. Her parents, plus 10 siblings, had all come down to the police station to visit their beloved family member. Of course, the occasion would not be the most pleasant the family would have spent together.

Lynn then quickly walked over to meet up with her family, albeit from behind a glass window…

"Mom! Dad! Guys!" she shouted out as she was uplifted to see everyone.

"Oh, LJ! I wish I could hug you! But I can't, since you're behind glass." Lynn Sr pointed out.

"Seriously, Lynn?! You were arrested for assaulting 4 innocent children, plus for being in possession of illegal sports enhancements! What were you thinking?!" Rita asked her daughter.

"That's just it, mom! I wasn't thinking! I've screwed up, big time! I'm going down for this one!" Lynn admitted.

"Don't say that. They might just let you off with a slap on the wrist." Lincoln optimistically suggested.

"No, they won't." Lori sadly corrected.

"She's right on, dude. They don't just like things like violence and drugs slide… maybe once in a while if you're in the Rockstar business." Luna said.

"Guys, it's okay. I know this is it for me, and to be perfectly honest, I deserve it!" Lynn stated.

"Don't be such a downer, Lynn. Try to look on the bright side." Luan positively encouraged.

"Easy for you to say. You're not sitting behind glass, trapped in a police station!" Lola told her comedic sister.

"Look. I've been a huge jerk to all of you, letting my competitive drive get the best of me WAY too many times! Lori, Leni, Luna, Luan, I even almost ruined your babysitting gig one time!" Lynn said.

"Lynn, don't worry about that. That should be the last thing on your mind!" Leni reassured her.

"And Stink… Lincoln. There I go again. See, I just can't be the cool big sis you deserve. I wanted to toughen you up, and by trying that, I made myself the biggest bully in your life." Lynn told her brother.

"Lynn, we're past that. As I said months ago when I was in a sticky situation like this one, you're all my family and I love you all the way you are! Yeah, so you're a little rough with me, but that's only because you care! I know that!" Lincoln replied.

"Still, a good sister would have a better way of showing it!" Lynn remarked as she put herself down in front of her family.

It was understandable. In one week, Lynn had given into temptation, committed some of the worst acts she had even done in her life, alienated and threatened her family, attacked some innocent children, been arrested for the aforementioned assault and for taking illegal sports pills, and on top of all that, she was facing a serious jail sentence if her upcoming court case turned out to be a disaster. As such, Lynn's crippled emotional state was easy to comprehend. She was down in the dumps and gloomier than her gothic sister. Her family's mere words were not going to change that….

"Look, guys. Thank you all for coming down here and seeing me, even after everything I've done. I know what I said about not liking being a part of this family and all, but…" before that sentence was finished, however, Lynn was cut off.

"Lynn, you don't have to, we know." Lori reassured her sister.

"Yeah. We know you love us all really. You were under a bad influence when you said that stuff!" Lincoln said.

"Thank you, all of you! I honestly don't deserve a family so great!" Lynn declared, struggling to hold back tears, which she didn't like people to see from her.

"Yes, you do." Lucy claimed.

"Listen, LJ. You're gonna get through this whole business in court, and then, you'll be coming home to your family. I promise." Lynn Sr told his daughter, trying to raise her hopes so she wouldn't continue to be so saddened and depressed by everything.

"Thanks, dad." Lynn Jr told her senior counterpart.

"We have to leave in a moment, but we want you to know that this isn't the end. You will make it through this. We will. You have to believe that." Lynn Sr concluded.

But her father's optimism may have been misguided, because given the trouble she was in, surviving a court case was going to be no cakewalk…

The date for the court case was quick to arrive. Many members of the Loud family were asked to speak in front of the judge and jury, so as to defend their daughter and sister and fight for her freedom. In addition, many of Lynn's sports allies were present at the event, as was her coach, Henry, who was also due to say his part. Whatever happened, it was going to be an unforgettable experience…

As is typical for a criminal trial, both a prosecutor and a defense lawyer were present for the case. The prosecutor had the easier job, given everything Lynn had done. He also had plenty of people prepared to speak for him, including the children who Lynn attacked, plus witnesses of that event.

Soon enough, "Royal Woods Municipal Court is now in session. Judge Daniels presiding." were the words Lynn and the Loud family were hearing.

"I will allow the prosecution to begin this case." The judge said to begin the trial.

"Thank you, your honour. Today, we stand before a public menace, a trouble maker, and an unstable human being, in the form of teenager Lynn Loud Junior." The prosecutor stated aloud.

"Objection to the immediate slander of my client before a conclusion has been met!" the defending lawyer argued.

"Eh, I'm going to allow it, given what I've heard about this kid." said Judge Daniels.

"Great, he's one of THOSE judges." Lynn Sr quietly whispered to his wife sitting next to him.

"I would like to call to the stand James Wilkerson, one of the boys who claims to be a victim of the accused." said the prosecutor.

The boy then walked over to the stand so he could say his part in front of the judge and jury. What he had to say wasn't good for the sporty Loud girl…

"James. Please explain to the jury what happened on the day Lynn attacked you." the prosecutor said to the young boy.

"It all happened so fast. None of us even knew what that girl was doing. She just ran over to us, really angry, and started attacking us! She punched us, kicked us, tried to hurt us in everyway possible! She was a SAVAGE! A MONSTER! I've never been so scared in all my life!" James told everyone present in the room, as he visibly started crying over recollecting the unfortunate events of that day.

Sitting in the room were also the boy's 3 other friends, all of which shared his sadness at that moment, as they also had distasteful memories of what happened when they encountered a rage-filled Lynn.

"And could you point at this so-called monster right now as we speak?" the prosecutor asked.

James then raised his hand and pointed his finger at Lynn, sparking a reaction of audible gasps from the jury…

"IT WAS HER! SHE DID IT! SHE'S AN ANIMAL!" the boy shouted, terrified for his life, which was understandable considering the actions of the girl who attacked him.

"That will be all. Thank you, James." the prosecutor said, knowing his chances of winning the case had skyrocketed.

"Oh no! Things aren't looking good for Lynn." Lincoln said to his sisters.

"To follow, I would like to call James's mother Rachel up to the stand next." the prosecutor then followed with.

Lynn then held her head down in dread as she realised this case was not going her way. The prosecutor had all the evidence he needed to tear her apart in front of the jury, and the judge was just allowing it. It appeared she had already lost, and it would take a miracle to allow her to walk free…

"Rachel, can you tell the jury what went through your head when your son returned home from the beating that night?" the prosecutor asked the concerned the mother.

"It was horrible! I was completely shocked and terrified as I saw my son walk through the door, or should I stay, limp through it, with a completely messed up face, and multiple bruises and injuries! No mother should have to see their 11 year old child drag themselves inside the house looking like they just went 12 rounds with Mike Tyson!"

The jury reacted in shock and disgust after hearing that, while the Louds let out a collective audible gulp, knowing it was probable they were going to lose one of their own to a juvenile centre.

"If you ask me, that little girl is a thug! You should lock her up and throw away the key!" Rachel said in disgust as she turned to face the girl who hurt her child, and gave her the most hate-filled facial expression one could imagine.

"That will be all, Mrs Wilkerson." the prosecutor told the enraged mother.

"If I may, your honour, I would like to call my client, Lynn Junior to the stand, to defend herself for her actions." the defending lawyer requested.

"Very well. The court summons Lynn Loud Junior to speak in front of the jury." the judge declared.

This was the lowest moment for the Loud girl so far. Now, Lynn Loud had to stand up, walk through the room, past an entire crowd of snobbish jury members, all of which were passing judgement on her for her bad deeds, before finally standing up and saying her part. Normally, Lynn loved being the centre of attention, but under the circumstances, this was an exception.

"Lynn Loud Junior, can you explain your perspective of this matter to the jury?" the defending lawyer asked from his client.

Lynn then looked at the jury, who all looked like they wanted to rip her arms and legs off, and hesitated for a moment. Then she looked at her family, all of which appeared worried about what she was going to say. Lynn knew she couldn't possibly look any worse than she already did, so she decided she did the only noble thing she could do…

"I won't deny it. I did what those kids say I did. And I just want to say, I'm sorry. I can't excuse myself for what I did! I was violent and I did a horrible thing! I was under a very bad influence and I didn't have the strength to fight off my demons! I didn't know that I was attacking a bunch of innocent kids until it was too late!" Lynn told everyone in the courtroom, giving an honest account of her actions and her emotional state.

"Well, it's brave of you to admit that, young Loud. You mentioned you were under a bad influence. Can you elaborate more on that?" the defending lawyer asked.

"Well, I was taking a course of sports performance enhancement pills under the instructions of my baseball coach, Henry. It made me even more aggressive and amped up than usual! But to be honest, I can't blame everything on them! A lot of it is on me. Look, everything everyone has said about me today is true. I can't deny that I'm full of faults, many I don't even like to admit. But yeah, they didn't help matters and ended up pushing me over the edge" Lynn said.

"Ah yes, your coach. The police found a container of sports performance enhancements pills in your pocket at the moment of arrest. They say you told them a Mr Henry Fredricks, your baseball coach, gave them to you?" the defending lawyer asked her.

"THAT'S A LIE!" Coach Henry yelled from across the room.

"Keep quiet, sir!" Judge Daniels instructed.

"Yeah, that's right! He told me to take them, even when I said I shouldn't! He used me as a test subject for his new sports drugs! He's the one responsible for me getting so much worse lately!" Lynn Jr stated.

"Thank you, Lynn. That is all you need to say for now. Now I would like to call Henry to the stand. I would like to ask him a few questions." the lawyer stated.

As Lynn stepped down and watched as her coach stood up, a smile on her face developed for the first time that day. Maybe, if the defendant could make him reveal his role in Lynn's tragic downfall, the judge and jury would understand the situation, and take a more sympathetic outlook on Lynn's predicament. Just maybe…

 _Or will they? Find out in the next chapter, where Lynn's fate is determined. The next chapter will be out soon enough, though it won't be immediate or anything, since there's a new batch of Loud House episodes coming out this week, the final 4 from season 3, in fact. I'll have to upload my reactions to those first before revisiting this project. Chapter 6 won't be too long after that, though._

 _Hopefully, this format change will satisfy some of the more critical followers of this story, since people haven't taken a liking to my 'script' format. If it receives positive feedback, then I will use it for the rest of the story, which for everyone's information, is probably going to be over 20 chapters in length by the time it is done._

 _Anyway, to keep up to date with my plans, just visit me as Just Some Ordinary Dude on DeviantArt._


	6. The Verdict

**Chapter 6: The Verdict**

 _Here's part 2 of the trial of Lynn Loud Jr. This is where it is decided whether or not Lynn will go to jail. Of course, the family will do everything in their power to prevent that, but the opposing evidence against LJ just may be too much to overcome._

 _Again, since there were no complaints last time, I will continue to use the format I used in the last chapter, continuing the experimental changes that have been put in place as I have made progress with writing my story. Anyway, time to find out what verdict awaits the roughest of the Loud family, and what state the family will be in after the result of the trial._

* * *

Coach Henry prepared to tell the jury his account of events. Lynn hoped that for all his faults, he would at least be compelled to speak the truth within a court of law, under pressure from a judge, prosecution process, jury and oath.

"Henry Fredricks. Do you swear to tell the truth, the whole truth and nothing but the truth?" Lynn's defending lawyer asked.

"Yes." the coach responded.

"Thank you, sir. I would like to start by asking you what role you played in Lynn gaining the possession of these performance enhancement drugs, and the effect they had on her behaviour and the resulting carnage?" the defending lawyer questioned.

"Well, to be honest. I would like to start off by stating that I do have some degree of fault in all this!" Henry replied.

Lynn raised her head in hope of what her baseball coach was about to say…

"I never should have allowed Lynn Loud into my baseball team in the first place! She's clearly unstable and mentally ill! I should have kicked her out long ago! If I have any fault in all this, that's where it lies!" the coach said.

And with that, Lynn's hopes were dashed.

"Well, that brings us to the next question. Did you give Lynn the sports performance drugs that were confiscated from her during the arrest?" the defending lawyer asked the coach.

"No!" Henry replied.

That simple yet dishonest response made Lynn's eye pupils shrink and her heart melt inside. Not only was Henry a snake, but he was also a compulsive liar and it looked to her like he was going to sabotage her chances of making it through the court case.

"Those enhancements were located in my car until one day, they were missing. I was test-trying them, as a man of physical activity myself, conservatively, as a favour to a friend. He stated they were perfectly fine as long as you don't overdose. That's likely what Lynn did. She stole them from me!" Henry told everyone present in the trial.

"*WHAT?!*" Lynn thought to herself as she heard lie after lie from the mouth of her coach.

"I think I brought it up after one session of practice for baseball. Lynn picked up on what I had said, and then behind my back, she stole my car keys when I wasn't looking, went into my vehicle, found the drugs and swiped 'em for herself!" Henry concluded.

"And do you have proof of any of these accusations?" the defending lawyer asked.

Henry was hesitant to answer that question, knowing he didn't, and that Lynn's defending lawyer was trying to catch him out…

"Well, I… I can't prove it with anything tangible. I didn't even think it could've been her! I trusted Lynn as a student and as a friend. She was my team's MVP, and she betrayed my trust!" coach Henry said as he tried to spin it to make Lynn sound like the bad guy instead of him.

"Oh, how convenient. No evidence whatsoever. Another thing, my client states you were keeping a watchful eye on her as she experienced the emotional turmoil from the drugs. She says she saw you at the scene of the crime when she was arrested by the police." the lawyer said.

"And you're talking to me about no evidence. No cops ever said they saw me there, just her. She would say that, wouldn't she?!" Henry responded.

"Leave the task of asking questions to us, sir." the lawyer answered back.

"That will be enough! You may stand down!" the judge said, intending to move on.

So, after that development, Lynn had yet another chunk of evidence in favour of the prosecution against her. As she unfortunately expected, Henry was going to lie to save his own skin and screw her over. She and her family knew the chances of her winning the case were slim to none.

The prosecutor then asked some of the witnesses to Lynn's fight from the neighbourhood to stand up and talk about what they saw, further weakening Lynn's chances. People who saw the fight from afar in their houses and front yards, who observed Lynn's instability and brutality at their worst. As all the evidence riled up against her, Lynn began to imagine bars surrounding her, and a sense of claustrophobia began to sink in as she feared being confined to a cell for the rest of her childhood years…

…soon enough, the judge believed a conclusion was nearing, and decided there was enough evidence against Lynn. He decided he would give her a fair, fighting chance, however.

"Okay, that's enough from the prosecution. Does the defendant have anyone else left to speak up on behalf of Lynn Loud?" the judge asked.

"Yes, she does. I would like to ask anyone from Lynn's family to stand up and answer a few questions." The defending lawyer stated.

The entire Loud family briefly bickered amongst themselves, as they decided who was best to go up and fight LJ's corner in front of the judge and jury. Then…

"Each of us would like a chance to speak." Lincoln announced to the judge and jury.

The entire family plus Lynn's defending lawyer all looked up at the judge to see if he would allow that…

"Very well. I will allow this, as long as each member of the family, considering its size, limits their piece to 3 minutes each." the judge declared.

"3 minutes? Is that all?!" Lynn Sr challenged.

"Enough! That is the best I can offer, so accept it or the offer expires!" the judge said.

* * *

And with that, each Loud briefly went up and said their part. To summarise, the basic point made by each member of the family in defence of their prosecuted sister could be boiled down to these sentences which they spoke during their allocated time slots…

 _"She's rough, rude and a bit gross, but she's also brave and means well. I should know a thing or two about hiding will meaning intentions behind a mean and dominant front." – Lori_

 _"She's like totes super strong and would protect any of us from a bully or a thug!" – Leni_

 _"Old Lynnsanity may be a bit rash and reckless, dudes, but I know her heart is pure." – Luna_

 _"She may be a little Lynn-Sane, but she's certainly not Lynn-Sidious!" – Luan_

 _"I've been on the receiving end of Lynn's violence before, and I know she can be a handful. But I also know she would never take it too far on her own and she is a good person when all is said and done!" – Lincoln_

 _"Lynn is a ruffian, through and through, but she's always there to listen to me when I've got problems and she's always there for me." – Lucy_

 _"Lynn's a really cool big sis. She's the most tolerant of my gross habits and we get on really well. I don't want her to get sent away." – Lana_

 _"Well, to be honest, Lynn's a brute and a savage… who's also really cool and awesome!" Lola said as she realised half way through that her sentence wasn't going to paint Lynn in a good light._

 _"My sporty sibling is riddled with character flaws, but she is not the monster she's been described as today! For all her brawn, she has never severely hurt or injured any of us!" – Lisa_

Because Lily obviously couldn't have a turn, it was then down to the parents…

 _"LJ is a handful to deal with and could do with turning down the extremeness once in a while, but she's a good kid who never meant to hurt anyone. She's had it hard at school and I think we owe her a second chance to show that she's not a bad kid." – Lynn Sr_

 _"My daughter is a good person who deserves to walk free today! Whatever she did when she was on these drugs, I am sorry for everyone who was affected! But that's not the sort of person she is, and if you all give her a second chance, I know she won't let any of you down!" – Rita_

* * *

After all the family had said their part, it appeared the trial was coming to a close. The judge began to speak as Henry sinisterly whispered into the ear of the prosecutor…

"We have heard plenty of evidence from both sides. Now I believe the time has come to allow the jury to come to a…" but the judge was then cut off mid-sentence.

"Judge! I have one more person I would like to call to the stand first." The prosecutor requested.

"Objection! The trial has come to a conclusion." The defending lawyer claimed, believing the evidence in support of Lynn to be slightly dominant at that point.

"Hang on, let's hear what he has in mind." the judge said.

"I would like to ask Lincoln Loud a few questions." The prosecutor continued.

Lincoln was then taken aback by that request. He knew Lynn's defendant was likely going to take an interest in asking him and his family questions. But the prosecutor? Moreover, why specifically him? Why was he so crucial to Lynn's trial?

"Son, if you don't go up there, Lynn's gonna go down for assault and abuse of drugs!" Lynn Sr told his son.

"Hold on, Lynn. He may not want to go up there. He's just a kid, and that prosecutor is going to try and mess with him!" Rita reasoned before standing up to question the judge.

"Your honour! I don't believe this is necessary! He's just a kid, and the prosecutor is going to mess with his head!" Rita told the judge as she raised her voice.

"If he doesn't speak, then the court will have reason to suspect something is being covered up, which may significantly affect the outcome of this trial." the judge told the worried parent.

"Mom. It's okay, I'll go." Lincoln declared as he boldly stood up and prepared to speak in front of the jury one last time.

"I'm so proud of you, son." Lynn Sr said to himself and Rita, trying to hold back a tear.

Lincoln Loud then bottled up any fear or intimidation he felt at that moment. He knew his sister and family were counting on him to go up and say what he needed to say. He walked up to the stand and braced himself for a moment of tension as the prosecutor prepared to ask him questions.

"Lincoln Loud, I need you to swear to tell the truth. You must be under oath while you answer the following questions." The prosecutor firmly told the boy.

Lincoln immediately complied, not intending on telling any lies anyway…

"I swear to tell the truth, the whole truth, and nothing but the truth." Lincoln Loud promised as he prepared to speak.

"Thank you. Lincoln, I would like you to tell me the kind of relationship you have with your sister, Lynn." The prosecutor asked him.

"Well, I, um…" Lincoln paused as he was ready to speak but then remembered he swore to tell the truth.

He didn't want to lie. It could get him into serious trouble. He was facing a dilemma as he wanted to help his sister make it through the trial, but he also didn't want to lie in court. He restricted himself for a moment, but then sucked up his fears and worries, and said his piece…

"My relationship with Lynn is complicated. I know she loves me, but I will admit that our bond isn't that straight forward. She's… rough, tough, a little bit gross, and rather violent and even a little scary." Lincoln admitted.

"So, you admit to everyone in this court that your sister, with or without the influence of steroid-like substances, is capable of aggressive and reckless behaviour?" the prosecutor asked.

Lincoln tried to think of a way to word what he was about to say for a moment…

"I suggest you answer me, Loud. Or else your sister's odds are going to be nil." The prosecutor told Lincoln.

"Okay, let me make this clear. Yes, Lynn can be trouble sometimes. She's been responsible for some uncomfortable moments for me. Anyone in the family would say the same, that yes, she has an aggressive, extreme competitive side. She can be selfish and yes, she can be reckless too!" Lincoln stated.

The coach then grinned in satisfaction as the prosecutor had managed to back the boy into a corner and make him admit the character faults of Lynn to the jury. He knew that a negative statement from a close family member was likely going to sabotage Lynn's chances of victory. He basically already had her beat.

But then Lincoln continued…

"BUT, in spite of every criticism I could make, here is what I need to stress, because I apparently didn't make this clear enough earlier…"

With that continuation, the spirits of Lynn and the family raised while the faces of the coach and prosecutor grew concerned. Lincoln was going to make it clear that he loved his sister and believed she was a good person, despite not being perfect.

"Lynn IS a good person. She's a great sister, in fact! When I needed help to get more active and take up football, Lynn took time out of her days to train me up so I could play, and then even played for me when I realised I wasn't up to the challenge. When Clyde and I went for an introduction to middle school, it was Lynn who did everything she could to help us make it through our first day. Her efforts were misguided, but she only wanted to make sure we didn't suffer the way she did! When I was being bullied, Lynn lead my other sisters and marched into my room, fully intent on helping me any way I could with my problem. She was even prepared to hunt down the bully for me when she thought some great big thuggish guy was after me! Everyone in my family, including me, has a whole laundry list of character flaws and imperfections. Nobody is perfect, after all, but I know that my sister Lynn is a genuinely decent human being behind all the roughness. She doesn't belong in juvie! She deserves another chance! She's been through a lot, and I don't think juvenile detention is necessary. I of all people could just say that she's a bully and a brute and she deserves to go away, but I don't believe that's the right thing to do. I think if we give her another chance to prove herself, she could be an outstanding person!" Lincoln boldly and confidently told everyone present.

"That will be all, Loud. Thank you." The annoyed and defeated prosecutor said, telling Lincoln to stand down.

"Oh, what a load!" The coach mumbled to himself, angry that Lincoln had potentially sabotaged his chances of getting Lynn locked up, as was his plan.

Everything had been said, all the evidence on both sides had been given. The only thing left was the verdict itself. Was Lynn going to be judged as guilty or not guilty? The Loud family all waited anxiously in a waiting room for the jury to privately discuss the matter and make their decision.

Even with Lincoln's heartfelt speech about Lynn's redeemable qualities and the necessity of giving her another chance, the odds were stacked in favour of the prosecution. Coach Henry convincingly lied about Lynn stealing the enhancement drugs from him, while the battered kids, their parents and witnesses of the fight all had very harsh if justifiable criticisms to say about the passionate sports girl. The family could only wait for the final outcome to be reached…

…after some time, everyone returned to the room. The Louds, the coach, and Lynn all waited for the decision to made official.

"It is time to conclude this trial. Has the jury reached a verdict?" the judge asked, before turning to face one lady who stood up and spoke on behalf of them.

That lady then began to speak…

"Yes, your honour. We, the jury, have decided that Lynn Loud Junior is…"

All faces looked on in fear and worry as she prepared to give the all-important verdict…

"GUILTY!"

All the Loud's faces dropped at that moment of hearing an earth-shattering word be spoken out loud. To them, that was like hearing that Armageddon was about to happen.

"NO!" cried Lincoln.

"Oh my gosh!" Leni blurted out.

"No, you can't take my daughter away!" Lynn Sr told the court, with visible tears forming.

"Don't worry, doofus! You got plenty more where she came from!" Coach Henry yelled from across the room as he tried to rub it in.

"Silence! Lynn Loud Junior, for your crimes of assault, possession and abuse of a dangerous substance, and for aggressive and unsocial behaviour, I sentence you to a year in a juvenile detention centre!" the judge concluded.

Lynn Jr could do nothing but hang her head down in shame. She had lost, and her family had lost her…

…and the worst thing was, it was all her fault.

* * *

With that, all that was left was for Lynn to be taken away and escorted to vehicle that would transport her to juvie, where she would spend the next year.

She began her walk of shame as a small team of local police officers came to take her away. She now had to face all the onlookers as she, a criminal in the eyes of the municipal court, was put into isolation. It was not only embarrassing and degrading for herself and the legacy of her family, but it was terrifying, having all those judgemental faces pass glares in her direction as she slowly but surely made her unfortunate exit…

As she was walked out, she passed her family, and looked them in the face one last time before she was gone. They all looked incredibly sad and depressed, as one would expect considering the circumstances. They felt a great loss as the realisation set in that they were returning home without one of their own. The Loud House would be one less Loud for the foreseeable future.

As Lynn left the sight of her loved ones for the last time in quite a while, she turned back around to face them, and look them in the eyes. Her saddened and sorrowful look said it all. She was sorry for what she had done, what she'd put them through, and the fact that they were losing her. She then walked away, leaving her loved ones to dwell and grieve.

Lincoln, having felt guilty for not lying in order to save his sister, tried to apologise, despite having done nothing wrong.

"I'm sorry, guys. It's just that I swore an oath and I had to tell the truth." Lincoln apologetically told his family.

"Son, we don't blame you for any of this. You did the right thing. You told the truth, you couldn't lie! We all did the best we could for little LJ. It just wasn't enough this time." Lynn Sr reassured his son, whilst reflecting on the sad fact that his daughter was lost.

"I can't believe it, I'm going to be alone at night in my room… and not in a good way." Lucy said.

Lynn Sr began crying as Rita supported him with a hug, letting his sobbing head rest against her. The siblings just looked down as they felt the tragic loss that they had suffered.

One of their own was gone, and for a very long time…

Lincoln was saddened, same as the rest, but there was another thought in his head at that moment, running parallel with the sense of loss he shared with his family.

"I don't understand! Why would that coach do this to Lynn? She was a star player for his team and a valuable asset to him. Why would he be so hell bent on sabotaging her career, lying to the court, and getting her locked up?! I don't understand why he would do this, but I'm going to find out!" Lincoln told himself, wanting to do whatever he could to help his family and sister.

But while the Loud family was in ruins, Coach Henry walked outside the building, rejoicing in the outcome. He managed to get Lynn sent to prison, and he came out without consequences. He then decided to pull out his phone and make a call…

"Hello, sir. The plan worked perfectly. Yes, Lynn Loud Junior is coming straight to you as we speak! Your idea of getting me to tell the prosecution to make that Lincoln kid speak was genius! It's all gone perfectly!" Henry said with a devilish smile.

He had done exactly what he was supposed to, and someone was clearly very happy with his dirty work.

* * *

 _Well, that's the end of the beginning, as the setup has been completed. Lynn Loud Jr has been deemed guilty of her crimes. Now she's going to jail, or juvie. To be fair, considering the title and narrative premise of this FanFiction, the verdict was probably obvious to some readers, but the importance is usually in the detail as much as anything._

 _Anyway, this is really only the start. Next time, the beginning of Lynn's time inside will be shown, as this will be a significant part of the overall story, and it will lead to bigger and more dire eventfulness down the line. But to find out about all that, you'll need to keep coming back for a read. This story is likely going to be over 20 chapters in length by the time it is done. So, there is still a lot more to go as far as Two Peas is concerned._

 _Thanks to those who have kept reading this far. Your support means a lot. Any feedback, provided it is constructive and reasonable, is always welcome. I will defend my story, but I am not against the use of reasonable criticism from my followers. The fact that I've made a minor but constant change to my story's format shows as much. Anyway, see you guys soon with another chapter. Shouldn't be too long before I get chapter 7 up._


	7. First Day from Hell

**Chapter 7: First Day from Hell**

 _So, now that the prologue is done, it's time we dive into the main meat of the story, as Lynn Jr finds herself heading to the local juvenile detention centre, after being deemed guilty of her crimes from the previous chapters. Needless to say, things aren't exactly going to get any better from LJ from here, as she experiences all new kinds of problems on the inside._

 _Anyway, let's get this chapter started._

* * *

Her darkest fears had become a reality. Lynn Loud Junior, the sports star of Royal Woods, had become an inmate of the town's juvenile facility.

…she was dressed in a typical prisoner attire, which oddly enough, looked very similar to the outfit she would wear when playing with the Turkey Jerkies team for Basketball games. Except it was orange instead of red. Certainly not the star image for a star player.

She started walking into the building, when she noticed something about the sign outside…

It said 'Royal Woods Prison and Juvie Centre' owned by Grip…

"Must be Flip's brother." Lynn said to herself, being aware of Flip's money saving tendencies and predicting Grip was a relative, or alter ego of his, resorting to similar tactics.

That's what it seemed like to her, why else amalgamate adult prison with juvie? It saves money, something many places in the world need to take into account considering economic standings…

"I don't like the looks of this place." Lynn said out loud, as she observed the surroundings as she entered the building.

She began to feel intimidated, even paranoid of the horrors that was likely to encounter under the roof of the troublesome domain…

"Loud, here's your cell!" the prison guard told her as he shoved her into her cell, before proceeding to close and lock the barred door.

Lynn then sighed as she stared at the small and dull space that surrounded her, seeing only one narrow window, a small single bed, and no more. She then sat down on the mattress as she absorbed her new life, a life in juvie.

* * *

She looked up at the ceiling of her cell room, dwelling on the events which had caused her to be locked up in there in the first place. It's not like there was much else she was going to have to do for the foreseeable future. She began to have flashbacks in her head, remembering the worst actions she had committed.

She started by thinking about recent events. Her weakness when it came to giving into temptation and her resulting violent behaviour. The way she scared her family and even savagely beat those random kids. It was truly one of the worst weeks of her entire life, and one which exposed everything wrong with her as a person. She emitted a shockingly sad and depressed facial expression as these thoughts floated around her psyche, plaguing her emotional state…

…then it got worse. She started to think further back, to some of the other dishonourable things she had done. She remembered her ultra-competitive, heavily vexatious behaviour when playing board games, ruining what should have been fun and enjoyable bonding activities between the family. She was the reason so many of her siblings dreaded playing family board games, all because she couldn't keep her competitiveness in check. Then there was the time she let her superstitious nature get the best of her. Because of her paranoia and selfishness, her own brother was locked out of the house by the family and left in the cold.

The sad fact was, those were mere examples. Others included all her roughhousing and aggressive moments, her obsession with ensuring victory in any given competitive event, even at the expense of others close to her, like when she forbid Margo from using the bathroom because of her 'number 2' superstition. Her family and friends tolerated all her character faults all her life, because they were so fond of her…

…she decided, maybe she didn't deserve all that love and respect from those closest to her. Maybe her sentence, and some time in isolation, was what she needed, and what she deserved. As she came to conclude this, tears visibly began to run down her face, as she was emotionally overwhelmed and distraught from the inside out.

But then her dwelling came to an end, for the time being…

"Loud! Out of your cell! Lunch time!" the prison guard yelled.

* * *

Lynn got out of bed and was released from her cell, and then she walked with the other inmates over to the designated lunch area. Lynn knew she would need to get used to her new routine, because it's all she was going to experience for the next few months onward…

"Alright, you got one hour to eat and roam. Then you return to your cells! Understand?" the prison guard asked all the juvie inmates present.

"YES, SIR!" all the inmates responded.

Lynn then lined up with the other juvie prisoners to grab her grub. When the lunch lady put her food on her tray, it appeared to be a large lump of puke. Even by the disgusting habits of Lynn Jr, this was just too gross to eat…

"Aw, come on! No meatball subs, no burgers, no pizza?" Lynn questioned.

"Yeah, there is something else on the menu." The lunch lady responded.

"Thank you!" Lynn blurted out in relief.

But her sense of relief was misguided, as the lady then snorted and shot a snotty spit into Lynn's food.

"There you go. Only the special little children like you get the deluxe!" the lunch lady joked.

"Thanks." Lynn sarcastically replied, knowing exactly what she was going to do with that food.

Throw it on the floor in the corner of the room.

After everyone had eaten, all the juvie inmates made their way to the court yard. At least, it wasn't completely uneventful. All juvie inmates were allowed an hour of free time in the courtyard, which consisted of an open area where they could all hang around in groups, and even a set of weights and exercise equipment, because prisons are gymnasiums, after all…

"Well, this isn't so bad!" Lynn said to herself.

As Lynn looked around, she took her first good look at her fellow inmates. As expected, they were all tough, fit, muscular, rough characters, all of which you didn't want to mess with. Because there was already a divide in the building between adult prisoners and juveniles, a further separation between genders was not deemed necessary, so male as well as female child prisoners were present in the area.

Lynn looked to her far right, and saw a large fence, covered with barbed wire. It was in place to separate the children from the adult prisoners. Noticeably, no fellow juveniles were seen anywhere near the fence, as even the roughest kids didn't want to tangle with the deadliest of the adult criminals.

What Lynn didn't notice, was that from behind the fence, was a pair of eyes, looking at her, taking an interest in her presence. But he wasn't going to make his presence known just yet…

"Alright, Lynnsanity! This is just middle school again." The sporty Loud girl tried to reassure herself as a sense of intimidation began to take over.

Lynn's anxiety attacks, those which she hadn't suffered from since beginning her time at middle school, had resurrected themselves inside her head. She was feeling the way she used to. Timid, afraid, uncertain, and vulnerable. She remembered how badly she suffered, and for a moment, that scared little girl mentality she used to have when backed up against the wall had begun to resurface.

"No! Come on, LJ! You can do this! You gotta show 'em who's boss!" Lynn instructed herself, knowing what she had to do.

She did what she would normally do when faced with a potential downfall, the same thing she did when her board game winning streak was under threat. She told herself she needed to be tougher and stronger, and not to let someone get the better of her…

…as far as she was concerned, the days of her being a punching bag or a victim were over. Juvie was just another middle school in her mind, so she had to adopt the same strategy. She didn't care how bad any of the other underaged offenders were, she knew she was the baddest; the toughest. She HAD to be. If not, she was doomed.

"Alright, guys. Lynnsanity in the house!" Lynn paraded to herself as she walked up to the gymnasium area.

* * *

Lynn felt like working on her upper body strength, but the barbells and benches were taken by a trio of teenage butch females who appeared to be a group…

One was a 12 year old girl, about Lincoln's height, with short blonde hair and a scar on her cheek, indicating she had a rather rough past. Her name was Viper, as indicated by a tattoo on her arm, which was a feature all 3 girls shared.

Another was a tall girl, probably about 12 or 13, who had long brunette hair as well as an eyepatch of all things, suggesting she actually had a missing eye. Her name was Mamushi.

Finally, there was a girl about an inch taller than Lynn herself, appeared about 13 or 14, who had really short buzzcut hair and a really gruff, deep voice. She went by the name of Mamba. Needless to say, this trio didn't look like they were ones anyone would want to get on the bad side of…

"That was a killer workout!" Mamushi told her friends.

"Yeah, I'm really getting a good pump on these muscles!" Viper said aloud.

"That's cool. Now we'll go and pump some iron into these bad boys!" Mamba said as she looked at her biceps.

Lynn overheard this little conversation between the trio, and believing the barbell equipment was about to become free, decided to approach them and ask if she could use it next.

"Yo, girls. Can I use the barbells if you're done?" Lynn asked.

"Nah! We're using it!" Mamba bit back, looking Lynn in the face and taking pleasure in brushing her off.

"But I just heard you guys talking and…" Lynn tried to say but then she was cut off.

"HEY! You've been listening to our conversation? Hasn't anyone ever taught you that eavesdropping is rude?!" Mamba accused Lynn as she stood up, raised her voice and got right in the sporty kid's face.

The young Loud girl did not wish to back down. She could tell this girl meant business, and was a tough cookie. But Lynn knew that she had to make it clear that she wasn't a pushover either, that she would stand up for herself. It's what made her different from what she once was.

"Hey, watch your tone with me!" Lynn snapped back, refusing to back down.

That line earned Lynn a disrespectful, condescending smirk from the alpha of the juvie centre. Mamba was used to people practically kissing her feet, and this little girl with freckles and a ponytail was giving her lip. She found it humorous if different.

"Hey kid! You better step away if you don't want an ass kicking!" Viper told Lynn.

"That's right! No one messes with Mamba in here!" Mamushi added.

"Yeah, that's right. I'm the alpha dawg in this dump. What I say goes. If you got a problem with that, speak up!" Mamba demanded.

"Yeah, I have got a problem with that! I'm number one, and that doesn't change no matter where I go!" Lynn insisted to her new adversary.

"Ha, alright. Have it your way." Mamba calmly but sinisterly said as she slowly began to turn around, making it seem as if she was going to walk away…

…but then, Mamba delivered a mean right hook to Lynn's chin from out of nowhere.

"OOOHHH!" the surrounding juvie kids collectively shouted as they reacted to the punch.

Lynn staggered from the force of the blow, but was used to taking heavy shots from opponents. She wasn't going to go down that easily…

"BRING IT!" Lynn yelled as her ultra-competitive, violent disposition raised to the surface.

Many juvie inmates gathered around as the two girls went toe-to-toe. Each of them throwing a fury of punches intended to knock the other girl's head off. Both Lynn and Mamba were incredibly tough, durable girls and both had brutish fighting styles, so the battle quickly became a slugfest.

"You're mine, ponytail!" Mamba yelled at her opponent.

Mamba went to grab Lynn's hair and pull it, but the Loud girl saw it coming and evaded her grab attempt, before springing back with a headbutt to the face. Mamba stepped back upon impact and absorbed the blow, before responding with a knee to the gut, followed by three solid punches to the face…

Lynn then went for a takedown and tackled her opponent to the ground, where she attempted a ground and pound assault, but the slightly bigger girl soon overpowered her and reversed the positions, so she was on top.

A collective "FIGHT! FIGHT! FIGHT!" was heard around them as all the other boys and girls in the courtyard were looking on excitedly, egging the two girls on to continue.

Lynn took a few punches before suddenly capitalising on an opening and applying a kimura lock to Mamba. Mamba could sense her arm was seconds away from being broken, which would significantly lower her chances of winning the fight. But before Lynn could snap her limb and injure her…

"GET HER!" shouted Viper.

Viper and Mamushi joined in the fight and began kicking Lynn in the side of the head. Lynn then let go of Mamba, who stood up and momentarily grabbed hold of her arm, which was still in pain. Her two cronies then got on top of the sports girl and punched her in the face and mid-section repeatedly.

"THIS IS WHAT YOU GET!" Viper screamed in Lynn's face.

"Okay girls, back off! She's mine!" Mamba declared as her two friends got back up and left the beaten Lynn to Mamba as a plaything.

Mamba then got right in Lynn's face and told her…

"This ain't no school, ponytail! Round here, I command respect! I rule the yard! If you don't show me respect, THIS IS WHAT HAPPENS!" Mamba harshly put it, before starting to constantly pound Lynn Jr in the face.

Lynn had two black eyes, a bloody nose, multiple bruises, and two knocked out teeth for her troubles, and it looked like the beating would only continue from there. Until…

"Everyone, out of the way!" one guard commanded to the other kids as the prison guards had finally saw the commotion, made their way through the crowd and managed to break up the fight.

The guards then all surrounded the bloodied and beaten Lynn and forced the others to retreat…

"Eh, fights over, anyway! That little runt learned her lesson the hard way!" Mamba snickered, as she and her cronies left the scene unscathed, along with the other onlookers.

She was right about that much. Lynn had learned a lesson. That juvie was no middle school. It was much, MUCH worse. And it was taught in the harshest way possible, that her rough attitude and attempts to be number one didn't always help her in life. This was a life lesson she would never forget…

"Alright, kid. You better get back to your cell! That will teach you for getting into trouble. A word of advice we give to all inmates. Just behave yourselves and your stay here will be relatively pain-free." the guard told Lynn.

Lynn figured at that moment that she ought to listen to the man. She was beaten and bruised, and aching all over, and already had 3 enemies, and counting…

…and it was only her first day!

But that was only the beginning, and little did Lynn know at that point, she had a much bigger role to play in events to come.

* * *

 _A bit of a dialogue light chapter, featuring sequences involving Lynn's hellish first day inside juvie, where a lot of the eventfulness is her emotional turmoil and reflections upon her new surroundings. Indeed, with the conclusion of this chapter, poor LJ has hit her lowest point in the story. Of course, the bright side is she can surely only pick herself up from here… right?_

 _The next 2 chapters will be a two-parter. You will see why when I upload the next part of the story, but let's just say some significant events will unfold in those chapters. Anyway, for now, I will leave you to your own thoughts._


	8. Ace Savvy Investigates - Part 1 of 2

**Chapter 8: Ace Savvy Investigates (Part 1/2)**

 _Here we go with another new chapter for Two Peas. This will be a two-parter, as indicated by the title above, as there will be a lot of focus on Lincoln trying to figure out what the coach's motives were for doing what he did, while trying to expose him as the guilty party for what happened with Lynn. Part two will be uploaded tomorrow, as it is pretty much done itself, minus the proof-reading stage, and continues off what this chapter will setup. Let's just say, whether Lincoln discovers the whole truth or not, reveals will be made._

 _Anyway, I'll let you guys read on._

* * *

While Lynn Jr was experiencing the ultimate low point of her life inside juvie, her family wasn't fairing much better. A heavy sense of defeat and depression was present inside the confines of the household, with the siblings and parents alike being as gloomy as Lucy would normally be…

"Sigh, I know I'm not normally little miss happy, but at least I'm the only one. Having all of us feel like this is REALLY depressing." Lucy remarked.

"We can't help it, Lucy. This is literally a nightmare!" Lori told her.

"I'm more worried about Lynn. I know she's tough, but so are all those criminals in juvie! What if she gets hurt?!" Leni asked.

"You're correct to be fearful, sibling. Knowing Lynn, her hot blooded, temperamental behaviour is likely to land her in trouble in such a hostile environment." Lisa deducted.

"I DON'T miss her roughhousing…" Lola said.

"I DO! Well, mostly." Lana chipped in.

"But I do miss her spirit, and I miss her." Lola sadly declared.

The siblings then collectively sighed and hung their heads down out of sadness in the living room, while the parents were not fairing much better. They were in the kitchen, and had just overheard the conversation of their children. They too, felt depressed and a huge sense of loss because of Lynn's departure to juvie. Lynn Sr began crying as Rita hugged and comforted him.

Later, the siblings had went upstairs to their respective rooms, including Lincoln. He figured this is how the family must have also felt a few months prior, back when he ran away from the house. He didn't like seeing them in such a negative state. He decided to talk it out…

"Hey, Clyde." He said as he greeted his best friend via telecommunication.

"Hello, Lincoln." Clyde responded from the other end of the line, before continuing.

"So, buddy, how's the family doing at the moment?" Clyde asked.

"Not too good right now, to be honest. They're all still sad over Lynn's trial and her being sent away!" Lincoln stated.

"Oh, I know. That was horrible news when you told me! I can't believe she's been taken to juvie!" Clyde said.

"What I can't stand about all this is what her baseball coach did to her! He lied to everyone in the trial!" Lincoln said angrily.

"How can you be sure?" Clyde asked.

"Trust me, I know. Lynn may be a lot of things, but I know when she's innocent and when she's guilty! It's a brother and sister thing!" Lincoln told his friend.

"Well, if he's lying, then why was Lynn sent down?" Clyde questioned.

"It was a stalemate. The question became about whether or not the coach gave those performance enhancements to Lynn. He said no. While he had no evidence for his claim that she stole them from him, it also couldn't be proven that he forced her to take them, either. So, the trial became solely about Lynn's own actions and she received a sentence based on that alone. If only we could prove he was liable for what happened to LJ!" Lincoln explained.

"So, what are you going to do about it?" Clyde asked curiously.

"The only thing I can do. Find out the truth and expose the coach!" Lincoln declared.

The white-haired boy then pulled out his all too familiar costume…

"This is a job for Ace Savvy!" Lincoln boldly stated as he quickly put on his costume.

"And One-Eyed Jack?" Clyde added.

"Of course." Lincoln confirmed.

* * *

With that, the duo met up that evening and roamed the streets of Royal Woods, intent of finding out and exposing the truth to the world…

"So, where are we going to start, Ace?" Clyde/Jack asked his ally.

"Lynn's baseball team. That's where the coach will be!" Lincoln/Ace said.

The duo eventually arrived at the building of Lynn's baseball club, and entered the premises. The problem? Lynn, being a girl, was part of a girls baseball team, and so it was a little awkward them being there. Both kids would have to utilise whatever stealth skills they had to sneak in undetected.

The duo had their backs against the wall, were tip-toeing across the floors, and hiding behind every doorway or large object in sight so as to prevent themselves being seen by any of the sports girls. They temporarily stopped in their tracks, as they began to overhear a conversation between Lynn's sports buddies from outside the team's locker room.

"Alright, girls. Lynn won't be playing for our team anymore, so I've been asked by the coach to be the new team captain. I know I won't be able to fill her shoes, but…" but then Margo was stopped.

"Don't say that, Margo! You'll be a great leader!" Paula reassured her.

"But… I'm no Lynn!" Margo insecurely said aloud.

"Don't worry about it, we can still be a good team!" one other girl on the team pitched in.

"But look at past couple of games since Lynn got arrested the other week. We've been on a painful losing streak! We're all good players, but she was the MVP of our team!" Margo insisted.

Lincoln and Clyde overheard the conversation and felt a little bit of sympathy for the team. These girls, much like Lincoln and his family, were clearly victims of the loss of their close friend and teammate. Lynn was an exceptionally talented pre-teen sports player, so it was obvious she would be missed by many in Royal Woods.

"Poor girls. They really miss her friend." Clyde said.

"I think it's time we found the main man himself!" Lincoln told him as they decided to keep moving.

Eventually, the duo made it to the outside of an office room, which simply said 'coach' on it…

"Here he is!" Lincoln said.

"So, what's the plan, Ace?" Clyde asked.

"We'll go in, ask him a few questions, and drag the truth out of him! Did you bring the pocket audio recorder?" Lincoln asked Clyde.

"Yep. Now I'll turn it on, and we can record his every word without him even knowing it!" Clyde confirmed.

Lincoln then knocked on the door, and waited for an answer…

But to their surprise, the person who answered the door was not who they expected…

"Who are you?! You're not part of the girls baseball team?!" a tall, well-toned lady asked the pair.

"Um, I'm Ace Savvy, and this is One-Eyed Jack." Clyde nervously told her.

"Uh, I haven't got time for this! My team is set to begin playing in half an hour! Now tell me what you want and then be on your way!" she told the costumed boys.

"Look, can you tell us where Coach Henry is?" Lincoln asked, wondering where the man he was searching for went to.

"Henry Fredericks? He quit earlier this week! I've taken over as his replacement. He said something about feeling too guilty to keep being the team leader! He was nice guy, too. It's a shame that one of his girls was a selfish, reckless player, or so I've been told." she informed them, to Lincoln's slight chagrin.

"So, he's not the coach anymore?" Clyde asked.

"Well, duh! That's what I just told ya! Now is that all? Because I'm a very busy woman! I've got a bunch of talented young ladies to take care of!" she told the duo.

"One more thing. Could you tell us where we could find Coach Henry?" Lincoln requested.

"If it gets you out of here, fine. I'll give you his address. He lives at 392 Caldwell Road, right on the outer part of Royal Woods. Now get out!" she told them.

Lincoln and Clyde then left the building and allowed the new coach to attend to her team and concentrate on that night's baseball game. While their first attempt was not as successful as they would have liked, at least they had the information they needed to continue their investigation.

* * *

Lincoln and Clyde made their way to the address that the new coach had provided them with. Lincoln was quick to walk over and ring the door-bell…

Lincoln and Clyde stood in place and waited for the man to open the door, so that they could ask the all-important questions regarding the Lynn situation. After a few seconds, the door was opened…

"Hey, kids! This ain't Halloween! You're getting no candy from me!" Coach Henry told the duo, in reference to the fact that they were still wearing their Ace Savvy costumes.

"Look, bucko! We have questions, and you have answers!" Lincoln boldly told the big, burly man.

"Don't I know you from somewhere, kid?!" Henry asked as he stared down at Lincoln, trying to recall where he remembered him from.

"Yeah, you do know me. I'm the kid who stood in court and vouched for my sister Lynn after you LIED to everyone about her stealing the performance pills from you!" Lincoln told him.

"Oh yeah, Lincoln Loud. I couldn't recognise you under that stupid mask!" he told the boy as he reached over and pulled the mask off his face.

"Hey, give that back!" Lincoln demanded as he jumped up and grabbed it back off the larger man.

"Look, kid! I'm gonna give you five seconds to scram, or else!" Henry threatened.

"Or else what?!" Lincoln challenged, showing a sense of bravery that surprised the intimidated Clyde.

"Er, Lincoln, I love you buddy, but I don't think you should say that to him!" Clyde said.

"He doesn't scare me! I'm not leaving until he admits the truth!" Lincoln declared.

"And what truth is that? That your sister Lynn is a reckless, selfish little runt who got herself locked up!?" the coach barked back.

"No, the truth that she's innocent and you lied in court to make her take the blame for what you did and what you made her do!" Lincoln accused.

"Bah! You're insane, just like your sister! I guess being crazy runs in the family." He rubbed in before attempting to slam the door.

But Lincoln put his foot in the way, he really wanted to interrogate the man…

"Hey, I'm not done with you yet!" Lincoln told him.

"Wow, a feisty one, aren't you? Not at all the passive wuss of a pushover I was told about." the coach remarked.

"Wait, what? What do you mean?!" Lincoln asked.

Realising he had said too much, the coach aggressively shoved Lincoln forward, making him fall to the ground, before closing the door and locking it.

"Now stay away from my house!" the coach shouted through the door, so the boys could hear him.

"It's hopeless, Lincoln." Clyde told him.

"No! I'm not giving up. Lincoln Loud always has a plan! I just haven't thought of it yet. But I will!"

And with that, Lincoln and Clyde retreated to their respective houses so that they could scheme and strategize for another day. Their plans had failed, but they weren't done just yet.

But at least they still had their freedom, which was more than what could be said for Lynn…

* * *

The following morning in juvie, the sporty Loud girl woke up from a rough sleep. She was still sore from the vicious beating she had received the day before at the hands of the brutally violent Mamba and her goons. She knew that she would have to be a lot more passive and under the radar if she was going to survive inside.

Lynn would later repeat the same process as the day before. She would go off and eat lunch, which was foul enough to gross even her out, before once again being allowed one hour to roam free in the courtyard, where she could exercise.

She saw Mamba and her cronies nearby the barbell equipment, so she decided to steer clear of them, not wanting another beating from the trio. Lynn quietly and quickly moved away from Mamba's gang, not wanting the girls to notice her presence and potentially reignite the tension from 24 hours earlier.

"Eh, I guess I'll work on the legs today." She said to herself as she began doing squats.

After about a minute, she stopped and looked around. Her attention was diverted as she saw a few familiar faces in the distance. Away from the exercise equipment, she saw a few kids, loitering around nearby one of the walls of the free roam area. She began to approach them…

"Hey, I know you!" Lynn loudly spoke towards the three kids she was approaching.

"Hey, look guys. It's that Loud kid." One of them said in response.

"I can't believe it! I'm stuck in here, and I find out you're all in here with me!" Lynn told them.

"Look, Lynn, is it? There's no need for all that hostility here!" that same kid said back.

The three youths Lynn had encountered were all but too familiar to Lynn Jr, given the 'colourful' history they shared with her and her family. Needless to say, Lynn wasn't too happy to see them in juvie with her, and some harsh words were about to be dished out…

…if they were lucky.

* * *

As Lynn was having a heavy encounter, Lincoln was preparing for an encounter of his own elsewhere. He was in his room, thinking about what else he could do to help his lost sister. He was in his normal clothing, pacing around whilst thinking to himself. He began to do what he was known for, get some influence from beyond the fourth wall…

"So, my first effort didn't quite go according to plan yesterday, but Lincoln Loud always has a plan. If Coach Henry isn't going to give in so easily, then maybe I can get help from someone who knows Lynn. Someone whose really close to her."

Lincoln then began to put his Ace Savvy costume back on as he attempted to execute his second plan of action.

"Lincoln Loud always has a Plan B!" he proudly declared.

Lincoln had finished putting on his costume, and then quickly reached for his phone…

"Clyde, put on your suit, and meet me at Lynn's old school. We have another investigation on our hands." He told his best friend.

"Okay, buddy. But what will going to Middle School do to help us?" he asked.

"I'll explain when we're there. But I have an idea." Lincoln assured him.

Lincoln then made his way out of the house, and towards Middle School. He had a plan to get his sister out of jail and he was going to see it through.

He wasn't done yet…

* * *

 _But neither is this part of the story. Stay tuned for part 2 at some point in the next 24 hours. Lincoln will continue to look into things, while Lynn will have quite the encounter. A lot will become clear, soon enough._

 _As always, I encourage constructive and fair feedback, and welcome any suggestions regarding story direction or other factors. Of course, I am defensive and even proud of my work, but I will take the advice of others into account. I am appreciative of everyone who has followed my story so far, and hope you will continue to read on in interest. Even the odd comment such as asking me when the next chapter is going to be uploaded, is genuinely nice to hear._

 _Hope to see you back tomorrow, for the conclusion of this two-parter within the midst of a much larger story._


	9. Ace Savvy Investigates - Part 2 of 2

**Chapter 9: Ace Savvy Investigates (Part 2/2)**

 _Alright, here we go with part two. Lincoln will continue with his investigative efforts, though he might not find solving the case as easy a task as he had hoped. Meanwhile, Lynn will find out some very interesting things herself. Let's see what happens in chapter 9…_

* * *

Lynn had just encountered a threesome of familiar faces during her hour of time to roam in juvie. The faces being those of Eddie, Sid and Hilary, three of the former disciples of Jake Kelly, alias Viribus. Obviously, this caused an alarm inside Lynn's mind to set off, and she approached the group with hostility…

"Give me one good reason not to pound you chumps into dust?!" Lynn asked with burning hatred in her expression and tone of voice.

"Well, for one thing, you've already got yourself into trouble with your little scuffle yesterday. I mean, just look at that messed up face of yours." Replied Eddie, one of the disciples.

And he had a point, Lynn still had gaps in her teeth and bruises all over as she stood and spoke that very day…

"And two, we mean you no harm anymore." said Hilary.

"Yeah, likely story! I can't believe I'm stuck in this place with all of you freaks! I mean, you're the same bunch of guys that took over Lincoln's school and held it hostage for days!" Lynn said.

"We know, but we're on the road to retaliation." replied Sid.

"What? You guys?! You're actually going to turn good? Pfft. Give me a break!" Lynn brushed off.

"Just calm down, Lynn. There's no need for an altercation. We're not the little monsters you once met! We've changed, in lots of ways!" Sid told her.

"And as I said, likely story. I don't buy it!" Lynn insisted.

"Well, it's true. We're all on the road to recovery. Juvenile confinement honestly was a blessing for us." Sid said.

"Yes. It really has given us a golden opportunity to turn our lives around." Hilary added.

"Oh really? A few months in Juvie have transformed you from complete psycho's to wannabe jesuses?" Lynn questioned cynically.

"That's the benefit of being in juvie. It's relatively less violent and more relaxed than adult prison. Not only that, but it has a whole range of programs in place designed around rehabilitative service." Eddie explained.

"That's right. Mental health services, special education. This place really goes out of its way to help the troubled youths that inhabit its walls to better themselves and become functioning members of society once again." Sid stated.

"Oh, really?!" Lynn asked, still sceptical.

"Yes. In fact, I'm sure this place will do the same thing with you. They'll give you all the help you need to overcome your mental weaknesses. I mean, that's what youth detention centres are for." Hilary informed her.

"That's good to know." Lynn dryly replied.

* * *

But while Lynn was communicating with her former adversaries, Lincoln and Clyde were approaching her old Middle School. Lincoln had a plan in mind that he was going to act on.

"Okay, what's the plan Lincoln?" Clyde asked.

"I'm just trying to find someone." Lincoln replied while looking around.

Lincoln then saw the exact girl he was looking for…

"Hey, Margo!" Lincoln said, rushing towards her.

"Hey, um, you're Lynn's brother, right?" she asked, vaguely recognising him.

"That's right." He replied.

"Shouldn't you two be in your own school?" she asked.

"Clyde and I called in sick. We have business to take care of here today." Lincoln said.

"Oh, right. Well, how's your family doing? I mean, with the Lynn stuff and all." she asked out of concern.

"Not too well, unfortunately. This stuff with Lynn has hit all of us pretty hard." He said.

"Yeah, I get that. Me and a lot of the girls in most of my sports teams have felt the same. Lynn was a star player in all of them." Margo said.

"Wow, she's really had a big influence on people, hasn't she?" Clyde pointed out.

"Well, yeah. She worked herself to the bone every day to be the best she could be at any sport she could." Margo said.

"She was certainly committed." Lincoln added.

"Honestly, sometimes it bugged me. She did have her moments where her competitiveness drove me a little crazy! But I always knew she had a heart of gold." Margo told the boys.

"Yeah, she did." Lincoln agreed.

"Also, she was a lot of fun to hang around with." She proudly told them.

"Eh-heh." they nervously chuckled, trying to show agreement while not being sure if they completely did.

"Anyway, nice seeing you." Margo said, intending to move on.

"Wait, Margo! I need your help." Lincoln requested.

"Why?" she asked.

"I need to ask you a couple of questions. Have you got 5 minutes?" Lincoln asked.

"Um, well…" Margo hesitated.

"It might be able to help Lynn." He told her.

"Okay, 5 minutes." She said as she agreed to his proposal for a few minutes of talk.

"Great." Lincoln and Clyde replied in unison.

"Under one condition." Margo said.

"What?" Lincoln asked.

"Please take off those costumes. They're a little embarrassing, especially in here." She told them, and she had a point given they were standing in the hallway of a middle school, where bullying was a probability.

* * *

While Lincoln was getting changed and preparing to fire questions at Margo, Lynn was having a lot of questions answered herself by her fellow juvie inmates…

"So, how long are you in for?" Sid asked Lynn.

"Well, I had a trial in court, and was sentenced to a year." Lynn replied.

"Oh, you'll be fine. With good behaviour, you'll probably get out before Christmas!" Eddie said.

"Gee, thanks. That makes it sound much better." She responded sarcastically.

"As for us, we were each given 2 years originally. Of course, the crazy and warped personalities we presented at the start of our time here increased them a bit. But, that's fine. We're happy to serve whatever sentence we need to make sure we come out better people in the end." Sid justified.

"That's a good point, actually. Weren't there 4 of you?" Lynn asked, referring to Wayne, the 4th disciple.

"There was Wayne. He was the oldest one of us who followed Viribus. He was old enough to the point where he was treated as an adult and put in prison. He's probably on the other side of that fence over there." Hilary stated as she pointed over to the fence separating adult prison with juvie.

Lynn then looked over with a sense of fear of intimidation at the fence. Only a small structure was separating her and the other underaged inmates from the adult criminals.

"I still can't believe the way this place is organised. I mean, don't you think it's a little dangerous that not only the male and female juveniles are grouped together, but also that we share the same building with the adult prisoners?" Lynn questioned.

"Not really. I mean, Grip the person who owns the local prison institution, is clearly saving on costs by combining the two into one. But while they save money in that way, they still manage to have a decent way of keeping all the prisoners, juvie and adult alike, in check. We don't get too much hassle around here, as long as everyone keeps to themselves and minds their own business." Eddie explained.

"Yeah, but isn't it just a wee bit dangerous. I mean, boys locked up with girls, and the adults only separated with one small, barbed wire fence?" Lynn asked.

"No. Males and females are only allowed to interact around here during this hour of free roam time. Other than that, male juveniles and female ones tend to be separated when it comes to being allocated cells. Besides, the guards around here usually do a good job at stopping any altercations. Of course, they arrived a little late for your scuffle yesterday. And the fence has never proven insufficient at keeping the adults separate from us. This building is basically two buildings, joined in the middle with this free roam area that we all share. But no adult prisoner has ever come into contact with any one of us in the institution's history." Sid said.

"Eh, I'd still say it's a little weird. Then again, why would I think that? Crazy, overblown and stranger things than that happen in my family all the time." Lynn concluded.

"Why are you in here anyway?" Hilary asked Lynn.

"I attacked some young kids and was caught with some sports enhancement pills." Lynn replied.

"Darn! I'd say you got off pretty lightly if you only got one year." Sid said.

"I could say the same about you guys, if you didn't get life for what you did!" Lynn bit back.

"Touché." Eddie said.

* * *

As Lynn continued her conversation, Lincoln was having his own with Margo…

"Margo, what can you tell me about your old baseball coach, Henry?" Lincoln asked her.

"Well, not much. I didn't really talk to him a lot. He wasn't even there for very long." She replied.

"How long was he the coach for?" Clyde asked.

"About a month. He came in after the coach before him was banned from teaching because of some really screwy stuff he did! He said he volunteered to take over because it was his mission to take control of the local baseball team or something." Margo explained.

"That's it? He only stuck around for a month, and then just left?" Lincoln questioned.

"Well, yeah. I mean, this stuff with Lynn really got to his head, at least that's what he told everyone." She claimed.

"Yeah, but still. To only stick around one month and then leave!?" Lincoln responded.

"It sounds a little suspicious to me!" Clyde stated.

"What do you mean?" Margo asked.

"Margo, we believe Lynn was set up by Henry Fredericks. He forced her to take those performance enhancers she was caught with, and that made her become even more violent than usual!" Lincoln told her.

"Look, I would really like to believe Lynn is innocent, too. She's my best friend. But I think we have to face facts. The judge and jury declared her guilty, and all the evidence points to her being responsible for what she did." Margo reasoned.

"Yeah, but…" Lincoln tried to answer.

"Listen. I know you're just being a good big brother, trying to look out for his sister." She told him.

"Actually, I'm the little brother." He corrected.

"Oh, it's just that you're about the same height and she seems like the more childish of the two. Well, aside from the fact that you walked in here dressed like a cartoon hero." She pointed out.

"I just need you to help me interrogate the coach and try to get him to admit he made Lynn take those pills!" he told her.

"Lincoln, there's no point. I don't even really know the guy. Like I said, we barely talked at all, and he was only the coach for about a month. I'm sorry. I would love Lynn to be innocent, but we both know that she was prone to being really competitive and aggressive. To be honest, what happened with her isn't really that surprising." Margo said.

"She does have a point, Lincoln. Maybe Lynn… is guilty." Clyde uneasily told his best friend.

Lincoln then lowered his head, as the dreadful thought that maybe his sister was the monster she was made out to be in the trial became dominant in his head. He didn't want to believe that he was wrong, that his sister was a menace to society to the point where she needed locking up. But, even Lynn's best friend, and his own, were telling him that maybe Lynn was not innocent. He was beginning to regain the sense of defeat he and his family held after the result of the trial.

He knew they had a point, even if he didn't want to admit it. He knew that Lynn was far from a saint, and that she was capable of some deep lows when her aggressive need to be the winner took over her brain…

"I'm sorry. Lynn has always been a great friend, and I love her. But…" Margo started.

"But we'd be pretty dumb to just ignore the fact that Lynn wasn't above doing some pretty drastic things in order to fuel her competitive spirit." Clyde finished.

"Maybe, well… maybe you're right." Lincoln painfully admitted.

Lincoln then began to walk away, and his best friend followed him…

"Thanks for your time, Margo. I know this hurts for you, too." Lincoln told the girl as he began to walk away.

"Thanks, Lincoln." Margo said back as she stood there, sympathetic for the upset boy.

* * *

Back in juvie, Lynn wrapped up her conversation with the 3 former disciples…

"Don't you ever worry if he's on the other side of that fence?" Lynn asked the trio.

"You mean Viribus? No, I used to, but I don't anymore." Hilary stated.

"Honestly, we doubt he's even here! He's probably in Arkham Asylum or something!" Sid remarked.

"Or he probably got the chair!" Eddie said.

"We've moved on since then. We try not to think about it." Hilary told her.

"Well, nice talking with you, I guess." Lynn said before walking away.

As Lynn walked away, she turned her attention to the fence by the edge of the courtyard. She was the hot-headed and impulsive type, so of course, it was in her nature to defy rational thought and follow her gut instinct whenever curiosity took over. She decided to approach the fence…

* * *

Meanwhile, Lincoln was walking home with Clyde, utterly disheartened by the outcome of his investigation. He failed to get any answers out of the coach, and even a talk with Lynn's best friend did not generate positive results. He thought he could help prove his sister's innocence, but the more he dived into it, the more he began to question his own opinion of Lynn, and believe that she was in fact guilty. He knew, perhaps more than anyone, what drastic measures Lynn was capable of, after all.

"I'm sorry, Lincoln." Clyde said as he tried to comfort his friend.

"Do you really think Lynn is guilty?" Lincoln asked his friend.

"I… I don't know. I want to believe she's innocent…" Clyde tried to say.

"But you think she's guilty?" Lincoln interrupted.

"Buddy, I've always liked Lynn. She's a lot of fun and I always thought she was really cool. I remember when she took the time to help us with our introduction to Middle School." Clyde said.

"Then shouldn't she be given the benefit of the doubt?" Lincoln insisted.

"She also gave us some pretty questionable advice when she did. Remember?" Clyde replied.

Lincoln couldn't argue with any of the points being made against him. He knew Clyde was right, as was Margo. He knew Lynn was a decent-hearted person behind all the roughness, but still far from perfect…

…but then, he had another thought.

"Clyde, remember yesterday when I got right up in the coach's face?" Lincoln asked.

"Yeah, how could I forget? You were so bold and daring! I felt like I was gonna faint." Clyde said.

"Well, remember what he said to me before he slammed the door on us? He said that someone had told him about me!" Lincoln pointed out.

"Um, yeah, I do remember that." Clyde realised.

"Coach Henry is behind this, I'm sure of it! He was in league with someone to set Lynn up and get her in trouble with the law! Someone out there has it out for Lynn, and me, and they've set this whole thing up at our expense!" Lincoln concluded.

"Don't you think you're looking a little too deep into these conspiracies?" Clyde questioned.

"Clyde, why would he say that to me if there wasn't a conspiracy of some kind in place?!" Lincoln noted.

Clyde began to adopt Lincoln's thought process as he began to realise something was genuinely odd about the whole situation…

"Yeah, you're right. Also, the timeline's add up. Margo just told us that the coach was only there for about a month. It's like he was there just long enough to mess with Lynn, and then he left because his job was done." Clyde deducted.

All of the information they had collected from their investigation began to fit like pieces of a puzzle. A puzzle they were eager to crack as Lincoln began deducing things…

"Clyde, you and I both know that there's someone behind all of this. I may not have exposed Henry, but now I know that there's someone or something that's out there, that's responsible for everything that's happened to my sister! I promise, I'm going to save my sister from jail, and then I'm going to find out who's behind all of this, and then just to finish off, I'm going to bring them to justice!" Lincoln loudly stated, proudly and with strong determination.

He was on a mission, but while Lincoln was still far from knowing the whole truth, Lynn herself was about to discover everything…

* * *

After finishing her talk with Sid, Hilary and Eddie, Lynn was walking by the wall of the free roam area that separated the youths from the adults, minding her own business while reflecting on what had just happened.

"Maybe juvie isn't such a bad place after all. Those guys certainly have got better for it. They didn't even seem like the same people!" Lynn told herself.

Then suddenly, she could hear a faint calling, coming from the direction of the fence…

"Lynn."

Lynn turned around to face the fence. She started to wonder if she was hallunicating…

"Lynn Loud."

She wasn't. Her view was obstructed because of the barbed wire placed all over the fence and because she wasn't that close to it, so she decided to walk a little closer. She wanted to know who was calling her.

"Who's there?!" Lynn asked, trying to sound confident, but with a hint of nervousness in her voice.

She walked all the way over to the fence, and then saw the person calling her…

…it was a shock to say the least.

"So, Henry succeeded in his mission. He did well. Here you are, in the flesh, Lynn Loud Junior." the figure from behind the barbed wire structure said.

"It's… YOU!" Lynn shouted fearfully.

"How do you like it in prison, kid? It's not very nice, is it? Still, at least you now get to be graced with the presence of… LORD VIRIBUS!" he finished, before letting out an audible chuckle.

Lynn was shocked and scared as she realised who she was talking to. Only separated from her by a thin structure of metal, was the most terrifying being her family had ever known.

Viribus was back, and she was right there in front of him.

* * *

 _And with that, the 2-parter is concluded. As far as the overall story goes, we're now almost halfway, though there is still quite a bit to go, as you can probably imagine, given what's just happened. Hopefully you've all reasonably enjoyed what you've been given until now, and will continue to show interest as the story progresses further still._

 _I don't know what the frequency of new uploads will be from this point onwards regarding this story. I had written several chapters of this story in draft form before I began uploading, with a brief outline as to how the rest of the story would go, from chapter to chapter. However, it was the first 10 chapters that were written in draft, so that means the rest of the chapters after the next one will need writing from scratch. That's not too taxing, since I already know pretty much where I'm going with each chapter given my previous planning, but it will likely take a far bit longer between uploading each new chapter after the 10th one. Hopefully, that's not too big a deal for you readers. To be fair, my attention shouldn't be too divided, since the show itself is on an in-between season pause right now, so I should have the time available in the near future to make gradual progress._

 _Anyway, next chapter due in about a week, which will see Lynn's big confrontation with the returning Viribus…_


	10. She is Mine

**Chapter 10: She is Mine**

 _Alright. Here we go with the latest chapter of Two Peas. This time, we have the confrontation that has been building for a while. While Lincoln spent 2 chapters finding out various factors which could help him deduce the truth, Lynn found out first hand who was behind the setup involving her baseball coach. Viribus is back, and he has a few words of the sporty Loud girl._

 _As I said previously, the rest of the fanfiction past this point needs to be written from scratch, so it will likely be the case that the rate of progression concerning time between each new chapter being uploaded will slow down a bit. Still, I will be getting to work on writing the rest of it very shortly, especially since I already have an outline of the direction the narrative will take and what everything will lead up to._

 _Also, this chapter will concentrate on the character Viribus, from my previous FanFiction, Pushover or Payback. I fathom most readers are already familiar with that fic, and by extension, this character. For anyone who isn't, I suggest taking a little read of POP so you know who he is. Basically, he's a guy who encouraged Lincoln to become one of his followers after Lincoln left the Loud House. But his intentions were toxic as he had wild ambitions for societal change, and his and Lincoln's alliance came to an end as the Loud family and friends banded together and stopped Viribus's plan. Now, he's in prison, which is where we are. But for those who still need more information, I suggest reading POP. Or just read it anyway, I recommend it. Anyway, I'll leave that to you guys. For now, let's see what happens between Viribus and Lynn. Let's begin the chapter…_

* * *

Lynn was stood motionlessly before the barbed wire fence that separated her from the fearsome man on the other side. She couldn't believe the fact that a mere several feet away from her was the person who endangered the lives of her entire family. The fear in her mind was dominant, but there was also the emotion of anger that she held at that moment…

"YOU! Why are you here?!" Lynn asked.

"I'm in prison. It's where I was sent after you and your family ruined my plans for societal reform." Viribus responded.

"I thought they'd just put you in the chair!" Lynn firmly told him.

"Sorry to disappoint you." he sarcastically replied.

"I can't believe I'm in here with you! You and your disciples!" Lynn remarked.

"I know. I keep watching them playing over there through the holes in this wall. I can't interact with them, of course, since they never go near this fence!" Viribus said.

"Then maybe they're not dumb after all." Lynn claimed.

"It's sad, really. After I developed them into superior beings, soldiers under my guidance, this place has slowly undone all of my hard work." Viribus reflected.

"Good!" Lynn bitterly told him.

"Now I'm all alone again. I've ended up the same way I started." Viribus stated with a slight hint of regret.

"Well, you deserve it! You're a monster!" Lynn told him.

"Why do I? Everything I've ever done, I did to help people. To help this world become a better place so people like me don't have to suffer." Viribus insisted.

"You can't possibly be so delusional that you still believe that!?" Lynn questioned.

"Loud, you may not understand, but some of us have it hard. You were a sports legend among children in Royal Woods. Everyone loved you. You had it good. Me, not so much. I did what I had to do to survive." Viribus justified, claiming he had to suffer with difficulties that Lynn couldn't relate to.

"Is that so?" the jock asked.

"Yes. You could never understand my situation, kid. You've never had to deal with adversity like I have." he explained.

"Yeah, well, you're wrong! I do get it! I didn't have it that easy myself!" Lynn corrected.

Lynn then turned her eyes away from her interlocutor for a second, as the conversation was making her feel rather uneasy. She didn't especially enjoy talking about her deeper feelings at the best of times, let alone when she was confronted by a destructive psychopath.

Viribus, of course, picked up on what she had just said…

"Really? When I took Lincoln on as one of my followers, he shared some information with me about you, Lynn. He told me that you were a bit of a jock, and a bully. Granted, he was angry with you and your family at the time." Viribus said to Lynn.

"Lincoln has gotten to know me better since then. I'm not as much of a star as you might think." Lynn said.

"Really? But you're a sports legend, a tough girl with a loud attitude. Why would you ever be vulnerable?" he asked.

"In middle school, I had it hard. All the kids picked on me, pulled pranks on me, laughed at me, and made me feel worthless every day. It only stopped once I acted tougher!" Lynn explained.

Viribus saw an opportunity he could exploit, and began to expand the discussion further…

"I see. So, behind all the sports and aggressive behaviour, and the compulsive need to win at every game, you're just a little softie who wants to be accepted and respected by those around you?" he inferred.

"Hey, don't you try and play therapy with me, jerk!" she snapped.

"Take it easy. I'm just taking the chance to learn more about you. After all, we barely know each other, really. I'm just finding out you're not quite the mindless jock I thought you were. It appears there are more… unfortunate implications concerning you and your past." he replied.

"Yeah, that's right." Lynn softly responded with a lowered head, saddened and depressed by the harsh reality she was being faced with.

"The way that little runt you call a brother described you, I thought you were a one-note bully who needed a good beating! Hence why I held you up and ordered him to strike you. That was the way he made you sound. But now it becomes clear, that's not true, is it?" Viribus told the upset girl.

Lynn then tilted her head back up to face Viribus directly, captured by the implications of his words...

"I'm starting to see you in a different light, Lynn. You're not a vicious bully or a violent brute, are you? You're just someone who is doing everything she can to protect herself from the harshness that surrounds her in her everyday life." Viribus said.

"Stop it! You don't know me!" Lynn bit back.

"Oh, but I do. You have a massively competitive mentality. You feel like you absolutely MUST win in any competition, because if you lose, everyone will look down on you, laugh at you. They will just view you as worthless. You watch as all your siblings make friends and get by in life, and are accepted and loved by everyone for who they are. But you, people just wouldn't do that with you, would they? You tried so hard to be nice, and respectful, and to get along with other people and just be liked for who you were. But everybody was just too cruel. They took advantage of your well-meaning and passive nature and made you a victim of harsh treatment. So, you became who you are today. Someone not to be messed with, someone who is a winner." Viribus said as he assessed the young girl standing in front of him.

Lynn could only stand and listen as she was completely taken aback by how this man could understand and evaluate her so precisely…

"But sure, you have your friends and some people look up to you because of your talents, but let's face it. So many people, including your family and closest friends, have thought so negatively of you as a result. I bet quite often your sisters and brother will judge you unfavourably because of your destructive ways, or your friends will find you annoying because of your over-competitiveness." he continued.

Viribus then sat down, so he could stare at Lynn and continue his mental analysis against her from an eye-to-eye level. He knew he was getting inside her head, and he wanted to exploit the chance to warp her mind.

"Not only that, but I bet there are so, SO many people out there that hate you for who you have become. While your aggressive and competitive ways made you less of a target for bullying, the changes you've made to your personality have only made you so many more enemies. Face it, kid. All those people out there, they hate you! They despise you with a passion! They look at you and see a rancid child who deserves to suffer, and it looks like those people have got their wish, with you being sentenced to confinement in this dump!" he told her.

"Stop it!" Lynn told him.

"It's not fair, is it, Loud? If you're all nice and reasonable, people pick on you and treat you like a joke. But if you're mean and violent, then people think you're a monstrous brute. You just can't win, can you?!" Viribus asked Lynn with a venomous tone.

"Stop It!" Lynn demanded, really becoming overwhelmed by his words.

"All those people, they were the reason you became who you are today. If they weren't so cruel towards you, you never would have developed such a violent, competitive mentality. But now they all judge you for it. But who are they to judge you!? Who are they to pretend they have the right to pass judgement on your actions?! Like they're any better than you! Doesn't it just drive you crazy?!" he challenged, knowing he was pushing Lynn's buttons and making her crack under pressure.

"STOP IT!" Lynn yelled as she reached her limit, showing that Viribus's pressure tactics worked.

Lynn was angry, depressed, and all mixed up in the head because of how Viribus was getting inside her mind. She was breathing heavily after having yelled, and had reached her emotional tipping point.

"JUST SHUT UP! How could you even know all of this, HUH?! What makes you such an expert about me?!" she questioned, walking right up next to the fence and as close to Viribus's face as she could.

"That's easy, kid. Experience." he coldly and simply replied.

Lynn couldn't immediately think of a vocal response, unsure of how to react to what Viribus had just told her.

"Your whole shtick of being the toughest person around and the number 1 at all times, all just to prevent others from victimising you… that's me." Viribus comparatively stated.

"W… what?" Lynn struggled.

"That's right. You and I, we're not so different. Everyone else out there sees you as a selfish and mindless brute, despite the fact that your abrasive attitude is merely a by-product of their behaviour. Pfft. It would be like all those worthless sheeple to shift all the blame onto you, when you're only acting in a toxic manner because you're reacting to a toxic environment." Viribus stated, mentally seeing a strong comparison and level of similarity between himself and the passionate sports girl.

"No, you're wrong! We're not the same! I'm nothing like you! I…" Lynn tried to argue back, before being cut off.

"Is that true?! Really? Why deny the truth when you know it's right, kid? Honestly, I can see it, you're just a younger version of myself. The motivations behind your behaviour, your hungry desire to prove you're better than everybody else and that you're worth something. Your abrasive and aggressive way of treating people, all as part of a strategy to make sure people treat you with respect. We've taken the same life pathways and made the same life choices. The only difference is I've taken my efforts to greater extremes!" he concluded.

Lynn just couldn't argue with him. His analysis of her was so on-point. She knew that he was completely right about her, and as much as the thought made her sick, she knew that Viribus shared a lot of qualities with her.

"Kid, I understand. Better than anyone. I understand what you're going through. The rest of the world out there just doesn't get it, it just doesn't get you… but I do. Lynn Loud, you would make an excellent ally of mine." Viribus tempted her.

At that moment, Lynn snapped out of her moment of confusion and silence. She realised that all of his analysis and words were part of some tactic he had in mind. He was trying to warp her mind so that she would adopt his way of thinking, and align herself with him and his ambitions. She was quick to tell him what she thought…

"You sneaky little… you almost had me." she said quietly.

"What do you mean?" he asked in response.

"You're saying all this just to get me to do what you want. Isn't that right? And I almost fell for it… Almost!" she told him as she began to gradually raise her voice.

"I'm just saying, Loud, that you and I would make an excellent team." Viribus tried to encourage her.

"Are you serious!? After everything you did to Lincoln, and to me?! Even getting Henry to set me up to go to jail!?" she cynically asked.

Viribus simply responded with an indifferent shrug, denying the significance of all the crimes Lynn was verbally directing towards him.

"You gotta be kidding me! Let's take a look at what you've done! When we first met, you brainwashed my brother, and tried to make him punch me in the face in front of our whole family! Then, you take over Lincoln's school and we have to come and stop you! Now that you're in here, you've set things up so that my baseball coach would force me to take your dumb steroids, get arrested and go to juvie! Look at me, I've already had one vicious beating in here and I haven't even been here for half a week yet! Now, after all that, YOU WANT ME TO HELP YOU?!" she asked, genuinely baffled by how he could suggest an alliance under such circumstances.

"You may be angry with me now, but in time, you will see that helping me is the logical thing to do." He calmly and coldly told her.

Lynn, finding it difficult to even continue looking the madman in the eye, stood back, tried to compose herself, before continuing…

"There's just one thing I want to know from you. Why me?" she asked.

As he was about to answer, he was interrupted as she continued into a mini-rant…

"Really? Why me!? It's not like I'm the only one you have a grudge against! Lincoln, my sisters, the whole family, Lincoln's friends, the Casagrandes, pretty much all of Royal Woods! We all kicked your butt that day and brought you down! So why are you only coming after me?!" she wanted to know.

Viribus then let out a little chuckle, before telling her…

"Honestly, I set this whole thing up with Coach Henry as an act of payback. I wanted to exact vengeance against Lincoln Loud for what he did to me. I wanted to get back at him by hurting the ones he loved. I thought, what better way to get revenge than to get one of his wretched sisters in a prison cell like me?" he explained.

"Well, okay. That says why you went after one of us, but why me in particular?" Lynn questioned further.

"You were an easy target. Sure, all of you Louds have quirks and character flaws that I could exploit to get you in trouble with the law in some way. But you, you have so much instability and so many psychological problems, someone as destructive and reckless as you was always going to be the easiest option. I guess there was that comedian sister, Luan, and her April Fools pranking sprees? That stuff could easily land her in juvie. But of course, I'd have to wait until April to exploit that. As far as someone who's an unstable troublemaker all year around, you were the obvious choice." he said.

"So… all of this, was just a way to get back at Lincoln and my family? Well, are you happy?" she asked, tearful and bitter towards the man whom she was facing.

"Not yet. My ambitions span far greater than a simple revenge scheme against you, but it's a start." he told her, before he continued.

"But, as I said, while I thought were just a one-note brute, I now see something much greater in you, Lynn Loud. I am sorry I caused you this misfortune, but I genuinely think it was for the best. All this has given us the chance to finally meet one-on-one, and it could lead to an outstanding partnership." he proposed.

Lynn then began to slowly walk away, seemingly done with the conversation she was having. She was clearly disgusted with what Viribus had done to her in the name of revenge, and at that moment, saw his offer as nothing but absurd…

…but then she quickly turned back to get one last word against the fallen madman.

"Listen, lame-o! You and me, we're worlds apart, and I'm not just talking about this dumb wall between us! Here's the deal. I'm only in here for a year, and with good behaviour, that year will probably turn into 3 or 4 months. Soon, I'll be out, and ready to get my life back on track! It will be tough, but I'll handle it. You? You'll be in here for the rest of your dang life! You're never getting out of here! Now if you'll excuse me, I'd rather stop looking at your ugly face, and leave you here to rot in peace!" she spat at him, before finally walking off.

But Viribus, too, was one who liked to have the last word…

"You say that now, Loud, but I don't believe you. In fact, I think that soon, you will help me. You won't even know when you're doing it, but you will assist me greatly, and then, Viribus will rise again." he cryptically but confidently informed the young girl.

Lynn brushed off his comment and kept walking, having had enough of the conversation with Viribus. She tried to maintain a strong front, and not show that his words affected her.

But Viribus knew exactly how much they did. He had played her like a fiddle. He was inside her head. He smiled to himself as he relished in the fact that he was plaguing the young Loud's mind. Viribus had plots and plans bubbling away inside his brain. Everything that had transpired had done so according to his design, and everything to follow, too…

"She is mine." He happily said to himself.

* * *

 _Well, there goes chapter 10. There's still plenty more to come, but that will happen later. For now, this may be the last chapter I upload for a couple of weeks as I try to get ahead again. Plus, I have a review for Racing Hearts which I'm currently finishing off and polishing up, which is a review you will be able to view on DeviantArt soon enough._

 _Since this is the last chapter I may upload for a short while, I guess I ought to say what is overdue. Obviously, over the course of the last 10 chapters, there have been a few changes, mainly with the format I have used to write my story, plus a little bit of a change in how I use my exposition. Point being, alterations have been made where deemed necessary for qualitative enhancement. I would just like to take the opportunity to thank those responsible for giving me pointers and advice on how (and why) I could make changes for the better. When I uploaded my long post on DeviantArt titled 'Understand FanFiction Criticism', the purpose of it was not to be a smart-aleck or to just aggressively call people out, but instead to understand the arguments of those criticising, and gain a new perspective so I could understand why I needed to make some of the changes people were talking about. While I defended and stood by some of my creative decisions, certain issues like the format I originally used, I decided to adjust according to constructive feedback, to improved reception. As such, the users Ink-Dub and Delquea gave me some useful feedback which I used to improve my approach to writing this story, so I thank them for their input. Also, I thank other users for taking the time to provide their honest and constructive feedback, including ThatEngineer as well as various other users including guests. I always appreciate constructive feedback and aim to continue improving as a writer and as a content creator in general._

 _Anyway, as I said, I now need to get to work with writing some more chapters for this story. There is more yet to come, as you can probably imagine at this point in the narrative. For now, I'll leave you all to get on with your day. Oh, and make sure you read my previous story, Pushover or Payback, if you haven't done already._


	11. Minding Your Own

**Chapter 11: Minding Your Own**

 _Alright, here I am with another chapter after 2 weeks of playing catch-up. Let's just say I like to keep ahead of things, so I decided to miss last week so I could get writing a few more chapters in draft form. But now, it is time to upload chapter 11, which will expand further on the developments already established._

 _Also, hopefully the little 2 week gap of inactivity has allowed readers who hadn't already done so to read up on Pushover or Payback and become familiar with the predecessor to this story, and more specifically, the character Viribus and his previous run-in with the Louds. Of course, he still has to find a way out of prison before he can be a threat again. But he does have some plans in mind…_

* * *

It was a new day. Lynn was in her cell, the morning after she had spoken with Viribus. She hadn't been sleeping well the night before. She had a lot on her mind. She did her best to stay strong and resilient when in front of the psychotic madman the day before…

…but his words had affected her mind. He had plagued her mental state with his mind games. Lynn was tough, but behind all that toughness was a little girl who never liked it when something came along and bruised her ego. Viribus had done that, and then some. Lynn was far from the most breakable person around, but everyone, even the toughest of people, has their limits, and Lynn had reached hers.

She was lying there, on her bed, in her cell. Repeatedly rethinking everything she was told…

 _"You feel like you absolutely MUST win in any competition, because if you lose, everyone will look down on you, laugh at you. They will just view you as worthless."_

 _"All those people, they were the reason you became who you are today. If they weren't so cruel towards you, you never would have developed such a violent, competitive mentality. But now they all judge you for it. But who are they to judge you!?"_

 _"We've taken the same life pathways and made the same life choices. The only difference is I've taken my efforts to greater extremes!"_

But Lynn's recalling was fortunately brought to a halt as she was called by the prison guard…

"Loud, get your butt off that mattress! Lunch is ready in 5 minutes!" the guard told her.

"Great, what is it today? Barf on toast?! Cheese and mud pizza?! Horse sh…" Lynn asked the guard, before being cut off.

"Shut up and get moving! You either eat what you get, or you go hungry!" the guard firmly told her.

"Eh, well, at least I got a choice." she sarcastically responded.

Lynn then got up and walked out of her cell, and followed the guard and the other juvie inmates, who were doing the same.

"Oh, and this afternoon, some of you will be seen by our therapist, so you all better be on your best behaviours!" the guard informed them.

Lynn expected as much. She remembered what she was told by Viribus's old disciples the previous day, about all the help juvenile detention centres offer to their resident offenders. She suspected she would likely be one of the people to see the therapist that afternoon.

* * *

As Lynn prepared to eat another horrible meal, Lincoln was at school, in the hallway, when he came across his younger sisters, Lana and Lola…

"Hey, how are you two doing?" Lincoln casually asked as he passed the twins.

"Bad." Lola bluntly and cynically responded, though she wasn't wrong.

"This still stinks!" Lana followed.

"What? The whole thing with Lynn?" Lincoln asked.

"No, the lack of popsicles in the refrigerator. Of course the Lynn thing!" Lola sarcastically snapped at him.

"Okay, okay. Sorry I asked. I'm just showing concern for you, sis." Lincoln defended.

"Nah, it's alright. We get it. You're just trying to help. It's just that this isn't the sort of thing you can just put out of your mind." Lana said.

"I know what you mean. It's been on my mind, too. But I promise, I'm going to find a way to get Lynn out of jail and back home with us." Lincoln told his younger sisters.

"How?! Lynn's been sent away for a whole year. She was declared guilty in a court of law! How are we gonna get her back?!" Lola questioned, struggling to keep it together.

"Look, just calm down. You're causing a scene in the middle of the hallway!" Lincoln reminded her.

The Lola from the past would have let her anger run wild, but she had mellowed out considerably over the past several months as a person, and with a simple hug of comfort from her twin, she was able to keep herself calm and level-headed.

"I'm sorry. I just miss her. I miss that meat-headed, aggressive brute!" Lola admitted.

Lana and Lola then walked off and continued their day, doing the best they could to move on and ignore the lingering negativity present in their lives because of the fact that one of their own was gone…

…that little display of emotional fragility and damage from one of his youngest siblings only served to enhance the motivation and determination in the heart of the solo brother. Lincoln had another one of his many eureka moments at that second, and decided to find Clyde…

"Hey, Clyde. Got anything planned after school?" Lincoln asked a few moments later, after finding his friend in the cafeteria.

"Let me guess, another search for clues in the mystery machine while we try to prove Lynn's innocence?" Clyde sassily asked.

"Yep. We're taking another trip to Coach Henry's house!" Lincoln replied.

"Um, do you think that's really a good idea?" Clyde nervously inferred.

"Clyde, we can't let that man intimidate us so easily. My sister is counting on us!" he insisted.

"Alright, buddy. Anything for a friend." Clyde reassured him.

"Great, see you after three." Lincoln said as he began to walk off.

Clyde then took his phone out of his pocket and began to call someone…

"Dr Lopez, it's Clyde."

* * *

Back in juvie, Lynn was sitting at one of the tables, eating her lunch. It was the usual slop on a plate she was begrudgingly being forced to get used to. She couldn't help but look around at all the scum that surrounded her. To her left, she could see two of the ladies that beat her to a pulp just 2 days ago, Viper and Mamushi, at a different table finishing their food and getting ready to go work out.

Lynn then rolled her eyes and shifted her focus to the right. At another table, she could see the 3 former disciples of Viribus, who she spoke to just the day before, engaging in conversation with each other. While they weren't the hell bringers they were some time ago, they still weren't the people she ideally wanted to have around her.

Finally, she looked afar, well across the courtyard area towards the fence. She could see, very distantly, the sadistic and sinister smile of the man who was inside her head. Viribus was still there, watching over her, making her feel very uneasy…

"Ugh! I'm gonna go and work out! Take my mind off things." Lynn said to herself as she left her horrible food and made her way to the weights area.

"Alright, nothing will stop me today. It's for Lynnsanity to get pumped!" she told herself.

Lynn picked up a dumbbell and performed a few bicep curls, before being distracted by a shadow that loomed over her from her back.

"Who's there?!" Lynn protectively asked as she turned around to face the person who was standing behind her.

Lynn looked up at the taller girl. It was someone she had already become quite familiar with, unfortunately…

"Hey, Lynn, is it?" Mamba asked.

"Yeah, that's me." Lynn protectively replied, trying to show courage and strength despite being confronted by the leader of the gang who gave her a savage beating.

"Pumping some iron, huh? Good stuff." Mamba said.

"Yeah, I like to keep myself strong." Lynn responded.

"Nice. Mind if I join you?" Mamba asked.

Lynn was uncertain what her response would be. She didn't want to anger the fearsome gang leader of the snake girls, but she didn't exactly have a good reason to trust her, either…

"Eh, I guess so." Lynn replied.

And with that, the lean muscular Mamba began lifting with a barbell next to where Lynn was. After a few moments, Mamba sparked another conversation…

"So, I never asked. What are you in for?" Mamba asked.

"Taking sports enhancements and attacking a bunch of kids." Lynn replied.

"Is that all?!" Mamba questioned, believing that to be soft stuff.

"What do you mean 'is that all?!'" Lynn responded.

"The amount of stuff I've done in my time makes your little crimes look like child's play." Mamba bragged to the smaller girl.

"What do you want? A medal for all your toughness?!" Lynn bit back.

"Hey, no need to get all touchy with me! I'm just asking you a question." Mamba reminded her.

"Yeah, well, maybe there is. I don't even know why I'm talking to you! You didn't exactly give me the warmest welcome when I got here!" Lynn said.

"Oh, let it go! What happened the other day was just me and my buddies showing the new meat, that's you, who's dominant around here. Nothing personal." Mamba said.

"Gee, thanks. That makes me feel much better." Lynn sarcastically said.

"Besides, your face is already getting better. The bruises are already clearing up and you seem a little more able to move today." Mamba observingly stated.

"My body is used to pain." Lynn coldly said.

"Wow, you're pretty hardcore, aren't ya?" Mamba teased.

"Look, if you're quite done yapping, I've got muscles to build." Lynn told her as she began to walk off to another piece of weight lifting equipment.

Mamba turned to face the retreating Lynn, who was just trying to mind her own business and avoid getting into any more trouble…

"HEY! I just offered to be your friend, meat! You really should consider taking me up on my offer!" Mamba aggressively told the sports nut.

"Really? I don't remember the words 'do', 'want', 'be' or 'friend' coming from you. Besides, I don't want to be friends with any losers in here! I just want to lay low, serve my sentence, and get outta here!" Lynn coldly but bluntly responded.

"Oh, I get it?! You think you're so much better than the rest of us! Like we're all a bunch of demons or something! Well, tell me this, if you're so much better than we are, then why are you stuck in here with us!?" Mamba asked Lynn.

Lynn knew she was caught with a genuinely challenging question, as Mamba had a point. While she was surrounded by absolute scum like Viribus, his disciples, and a whole range of other violent and unhinged criminals, it was fair to say she was no saint either. Mamba was right in that right there and then, Lynn was considered no better by society than anyone else in the facility.

"Just go away! I don't want any trouble! I just want to be left alone!" Lynn answered as an attempt to get out of the discussion.

"Look, kid. I just offered to be your friend. If you haven't already figured it out, let me spell it out for ya! When someone offers to be your friend in here, you take them up on it! For your own good!" Mamba explained harshly.

"Okay, okay. Fine. We're friends! Can I get on with my day now?" Lynn asked.

"Sure. But I'll be back." Mamba mockingly teased Lynn.

Lynn then moved along to continue her workout during the remainder of her free roam hour that day. Apparently, the beginning of a new, uneasy friendship had begun. Of course, she did wonder to herself why this tough girl, who just days before beat her to a pulp, wanted to be her friend all of a sudden. However, she just couldn't think all that clearly at that point, given how much everything that had happened was messing with her head. On top of all the recent events that prayed on her brain, her interaction with Viribus, and the fact that he was only on the other side of the building, was still haunting her…

…but at least she had a therapy session that afternoon to look forward to…

* * *

Later that day, Lincoln and Clyde were walking on the outer skirts of Royal Woods, in the same area they had been to just a couple of days prior. Lincoln wanted to find out more about the coach who he considered was responsible for his sister's arrest. The duo had made it to his street, and could see his house in the distance…

"So, what exactly is the plan? I hope it's not another one of your shouting matches with the guy!" Clyde told his friend.

"Not exactly." Lincoln replied.

But before the two could get too close to the house, a large loading vehicle stopped outside the coach's house. Based on the branding on the side of the vehicle, it was a courier service. One called "RED EX". Henry then stepped outside and met with the courier.

"What's going on?" Clyde curiously asked.

"I don't know. It looks like he's up to something bad!" Lincoln concluded.

"Why do you say that?" Clyde questioned.

"Well, aren't you just a little suspicious about what he's buying?!" Lincoln asked as he pointed towards the vehicle, as the back had just been opened and revealed three palettes full of boxes.

"What in the world?!" Clyde asked as he gazed in awe at the sheer size of the delivery the coach was receiving.

"What could be in all those boxes!?" Lincoln asked suspiciously.

What was even more suspicious was the fact that the courier himself appeared very scruffy and unprofessional, wearing casual, punk-rock attire rather than a workman's uniform. He seemed very care-free about his business…

"Anywhere you want these loads dropping?" the courier asked Henry.

"Just get them on the ground and I'll take them inside." Henry told him.

The boxes were just plain with only small labels on them saying what they were, but the boys were too far away to see what they said. The courier lifted the loads off his vehicle and onto the coach's front lawn.

"What do you want all these for, anyway?" the courier asked.

"Oh, these are just for a little project I'm working on with someone." the coach answered.

The coach then helped the courier unload the delivery, while the duo looked on…

"Talk about suspicious activity." Clyde stated.

"As if I needed any more evidence that Henry is up to no good! Clyde, take pictures!" Lincoln ordered.

Clyde then pulled out his phone and took some photos of the huge delivery that Henry was receiving…

But he forgot to turn off the flash.

"HEY!" the courier complained as he noticed someone spying on him and the coach.

"YOU AGAIN!" Henry shouted as he could see the boys with the phone from the distance.

"RUN!" Lincoln and Clyde collectively yelled as they began to flee.

"What do you think he's got planned, Lincoln?" Clyde asked whilst running.

"I don't know, but I know it's something terrible! Henry is in league with someone, someone dangerous, and they're working on something big! I didn't get the info I needed out of Henry today, but I'm going to keep digging! I'm going to expose that creep for what he is before he gets a chance to act on his big plan!" Lincoln declared, all while running with Clyde.

* * *

But while Lincoln and Clyde retreated and rethought their strategy for investigation, Lynn was about to be forced to rethink a lot of things, as she sit down in a small room with only a couple of chairs. She was about to be given a psychological therapy session with a juvenile counsellor as part of the juvie's program to help her with her mental problems.

Given all the stuff going on inside her head, it was going to be a very long and very interesting session…

"Lynn Loud Jr?" the lady asked.

"Uh-huh." Lynn answered.

"I'm Doctor Ramirez. Would you like to tell me what's on your mind?" the lady asked the young girl.

Lynn recognised the doctor shared the name of her former school's principal, and she knew that unfortunately, that would be far from the only thing from her former life before jail that she was about to recall uncomfortably during the following session…

* * *

 _That gets us up to 11 chapters done now. From this point onwards, I'll probably upload a new chapter either once a week or once every 2 weeks depending on the rate of progress I make concerning the writing process. I'm now thankfully at a point once again where I'm considerably ahead of where we currently are now in chapter 11._

 _Typically, it will be weekends whenever I upload new chapters, either on Saturday or Sunday, so keep paying attention at that time of week to see if there's anything new, though I can't promise it will be every week._

 _Anyway, thanks to the readers of this fic for sticking with the story this far. Your support is greatly valued. I'll be back soon enough with chapter 12._


	12. Make the Most of the Good Things

**Chapter 12: Make the Most of the Good Things**

 _Here's chapter 12, everybody. Lynn is having a counsellor session whilst in juvie to help her with her psychological state. But it's time to find out if it will go well or not. Of course, Lynn's time with the doc should prove quite interesting if nothing else, since there's a lot of things going on inside the sporty girl's mind at this stage in the story._

* * *

Doctor Ramirez and Lynn were engaging in a one-to-one talk session with the aim of providing Lynn with the psychological assistance she required to become a better person, but Lynn was a little reluctant to open up about her feelings to a total stranger, resulting in a rather difficult time…

"You can talk to me, miss Loud. I'm here to help." The doctor reassuringly advised her.

"Yeah, I know. It's just, um…" Lynn struggled to say.

"It's just what?" the doctor asked.

"I don't wanna talk about it." Lynn finished.

Doctor Ramirez didn't find that to be as much a disappointingly short, dull and anticlimactic answer as much as a typical one that she commonly had to deal with during these psychological help talks she was hired by the detention centre for.

"I understand." Ramirez simply said in response, to the confusion of Lynn.

"Huh?" Lynn replied.

"I get it, I completely understand if you want to just leave right now. We don't have to have this talk." the doctor told her.

"Um, okay…" Lynn responded in confusion.

She felt confused by the doctor's indifference to her participation. It was the counsellor's job, after all, to provide Lynn with the support and guidance she needed during this occasion.

"Well, this is weird. I expected to have a big argument and for you to try and play some sort of psychoanalyst game with me, and for me to resist you for about an hour before you give up." Lynn told her.

"Well, you thought wrong. It's completely up to you if you want to be here or not." the counsellor replied.

"Alright, thanks. I'll be on my way then." Lynn responded.

But then she didn't rush out of the room… after a few seconds, Dr Ramirez picked up on this.

"Not in a hurry to leave, I see?" she asked.

"I dunno, it's just… weird." Lynn said.

"Why didn't you want to talk to me?" the doctor asked.

"I just don't know you. It doesn't feel right." Lynn claimed.

"But that's why I'm here. So you can talk to me." The doctor told her.

"Yeah, but…" Lynn started.

"But…?" the doctor asked.

"I just don't like talking about sappy stuff like that." Lynn said.

"Well, why don't we just try for a quick few minutes, how about that? We talk as I originally planned, and if you feel uneasy after those minutes are up, you can walk out. Deal?" the counsellor proposed.

"Um, okay." Lynn casually accepted, before returning to her seat.

"So, let's start with your anger issues." the counsellor suggested.

"What anger issues?" Lynn asked back with a nice front, trying to make it seem as if she didn't have any.

"Well, according to the information I have about you, you are in here, among other things, for viciously beating up a bunch of small children, younger than yourself, for no reason other than because you thought they were laughing at you." The counsellor brought up.

"Oh, that." Lynn regretfully recalled.

"Why did you feel the need to hurt those children, who you didn't even know?" Ramirez asked her.

"I don't know. It really was nothing personal or anything. I just heard a bunch of kids laughing. I was already really riled up and cheesed off at the time after having some beef with the family! I had just left the house, angry. When I heard the laughs coming from those kids, I don't know, I guess something just triggered inside me!" Lynn said.

"I see. Why would laughter be something that triggers you to flip out and attack someone?" Ramirez asked, intrigued by what she was hearing.

"Well, I guess it's because of how I was picked on in middle school." Lynn informed her.

"Oh, really? Tell me, what happened in middle school." The counsellor requested.

"When I first went there, I tried being really nice and friendly to everyone. But they all took advantage of me, used me for the butt of all their jokes! All the other kids there just laughed at me, made a fool out of me! It… wasn't fun. I guess when I heard the kids laughing, I just thought back to the times those jerks laughed and made fun of me! I snapped inside, and took it out on those innocent kids!" Lynn uneasily admitted to the counsellor.

"I understand." Ramirez simply said in response.

"Do you?! Really?! Let me tell you something! It was horrible! I always tried to be so nice and kind to everybody and they always threw it back in my face! I could never be liked or respected for who I was! All my other sisters and brother, all my friends, they could all get along with everybody else just by being who they were. But me, it was never that easy! That's why I became so angry and competitive with others all the time! Okay?!" she said as her anger increased.

"And… that's a wrap!" Doctor Ramirez said, following the end of Lynn's rant.

"HEY! I'M NOT DONE!" Lynn shouted, feeling the interruption was rude.

"Okay, would you like more time?" the counsellor asked.

"You're dang right I… oh." Lynn stopped and reflected as she realised the counsellor's strategy had worked perfectly.

The counsellor used reverse psychology to influence Lynn's participation, and draw her into a longer discussion. Lynn realised she had just been played, but she had got herself into such a talkative mood over the course of the past few minutes, that she didn't want to stop anymore…

"Well played." Lynn complimented.

* * *

As Lynn spoke with Dr Ramirez, Lincoln was discussing the events from earlier that afternoon with Clyde via online chat. Both were continuing to discuss the sight they saw with the coach and his 3 palettes full of boxes, and were speculating what that large delivery consisted of.

"Maybe those boxes were full of dynamite or something!" Clyde suggested mid-way through their discussion.

"Oh, come on! It can't be that!" Lincoln argued.

"Maybe they were parts of sporting equipment. I mean, he is a sports coach, after all." Clyde said.

"No, I don't think so." Lincoln dismissed.

"Hmmm…" Clyde pondered.

"I can't think of what it is that jerk is up to! Coach Henry is a snake, and so is whoever is behind all his dirty work!" Lincoln stated.

"Maybe you could ask your sisters. They might be able to help." Clyde proposed.

"That's a great idea, Clyde. They might have an idea what was in that huge delivery." Lincoln replied.

"Well, I gotta go, buddy. My Dads are taking me to the movies tonight. Hope you get some answers." Clyde said as he finished his online chat with Lincoln.

Lincoln then made his way downstairs and found a few of his sisters watching TV. Lola, Luna, Lisa and Lana were all on the sofa while Leni was standing up, tending to her own activities at the back of the room…

"Hey, guys. I have a question." Lincoln said to his sisters.

"Not now, dude. There's about to be a killer rock battle between Mick Swagger and one of his old rivals, Dennis Deville." Luna said.

"It's just a quick one. Let's say, hypothetically, someone was to order a really, REALLY big personal delivery. About 3 palettes big, full of boxes. What would 3 palettes of stuff usually be?" Lincoln asked.

"Ooh, ooh, That's easy! The boxes would be a ton of new, top of the range dresses, a years supply of make-up, and a hot hunk as a hidden surprise in one of the boxes." Leni enthusiastically answered.

"Um, the hunk would probably suffer from lack of air and be a little bit dead by the time he arrived at the door, Leni." Lincoln said.

"A whole bunch of guitars and some rockin' music equipment, dude! That's what I'd order if I'd placed a big delivery!" Luna said.

"No, it would be boxes of horse manure!" Lana said, much to everyone's disgust.

"What? It's good for all kinds of things." Lana happily concluded.

"If it were me, those 3 palettes would be filled with uranium for my current experiments." Lisa deduced.

"Well thanks, Lisa. But this isn't about what you would order, I'm trying to figure out what that coach is up to." Lincoln told the prodigy.

"What do you mean?" Lola asked.

"That coach who framed Lynn for taking drugs in court. Clyde and I went to his house yesterday, and saw a massive delivery of boxes arrive at his front door. I couldn't tell what they were, but I suspect he's up to something, and whatever he has planned, he's not working alone!" Lincoln told everyone.

"Lincoln, I hate to burst your bubble, but if the court of law couldn't disprove any of what Henry Fredericks was saying and find out he was lying, then it's probable he actually wasn't lying. With all due respect, if qualified and experienced professionals couldn't expose the coach, then what makes you think you can do the insurmountable?" Lisa questioned.

"He played them all. I may just be a little boy, but I've got one ace up my sleeve." Lincoln stated.

"What's that?" Lana asked.

"Brotherly love and responsibility." Lincoln claimed.

Lori then walked into the room, having overheard some of the conversation her younger siblings had just had…

"Lincoln, I know it's hard to accept, we all wish it weren't true, but the fact is Lynn's guilty. We just have to live with it." Lori sadly told her brother.

"To be honest, I gotta agree with Lincoln." Lola added.

Most of the other sisters were surprised by this, as Lola was usually one of the more sceptical siblings. However…

"As someone in the pageant business, I know a lot about deception, and that sports coach was lying through his teeth!" Lola barked.

"How could you tell?" Lana asked.

"A pageant girl knows these things." Lola smugly reassured her.

"Well, anyway, if you know so much about lying and covering up the truth, then I could use your help in exposing Henry to the world, and whoever he's working with!" Lincoln said.

"Alright, come upstairs and I'll give you some pointers on how to dig up dirt successfully." Lola said as she pointed upstairs to her room.

"We'll help!" the other sisters said in unison.

* * *

Meanwhile, Lynn was further into her conversation with the juvie counsellor, who was getting quite a lot out of the young sporty girl…

"People think that my passion for sports is why I'm so over-competitive. But it's not! I'm so obsessed with winning because I feel like, if I don't win, that I'm…" Lynn started.

"You're what?" the counsellor asked.

"I'm useless! If I don't win, what good am I to anyone? People don't like me, not unless I go out of my way to make noise and beat people at everything!" Lynn said, revealing her somewhat warped outlook on things.

"I don't believe that's true, Lynn. People aren't as hostile as you think, they would probably like you just fine even if you dropped your competitive obsession." the counsellor stated.

"I wish! But my past tells me that if I'm not so aggressive and driven all the time, people will just keep walking all over me!" Lynn insisted.

"Or maybe those experiences you suffered from were just the exception." Doctor Ramirez suggested.

"Hmpf. That stuff happened to me on multiple occasions! Not just once! I hate to tell you this, but people aren't as nice as you seem to think!" Lynn argued.

"I'm not saying there aren't some mean and unpleasant people out there. We all know the world isn't perfect. But it's how we choose to react to and deal with unpleasant experiences and hostile characters that determines what type of person we are, and what kind of lives we can live." she told Lynn.

"Huh?" Lynn questioned.

"From what I've heard today, the last 2 years have been really hard on you. You've adapted to what you perceive is a cruel and unfair world by becoming this alpha predator-like character who makes it clear to everybody around her that she's the best and not to be messed with. Your personality has become somewhat warped by your experiences. Deep down, a small part of you wishes she could just be a nice, normal girl with no need to be so aggressive all the time. I'm here to tell you… that you can be." the counsellor finished.

"What? But… how can that be possible?" Lynn questioned.

"I'm not saying things don't sometimes get tough, but you might function a lot better in society if you tone down your competitive drive. You don't have to win all the time. You might find that if you're just a little kinder, and just aim to go out and have fun with people, that you'll be accepted all the more and have even more friends. Not everyone will always pick on you, and you don't always need to be the first one to attack others." Ramirez said.

Lynn sat there and let that message in. For a few seconds, she found it difficult to believe what the lady was telling her. She had spent so long acting like an apex predator for the sake of self-protection and a sense of safety. But she knew the truth, that the words of Dr Ramirez, they made perfect sense. Lynn knew she was being presented with a rational and level-headed perspective of her predicament. Had she not been so overly competitive, violent and obsessed with winning and beating others, it is probable she would not have given into Henry's temptation, nor would she have winded up in jail.

"You're right." Lynn simply said in response.

"So you see what I'm trying to tell you?" the counsellor asked.

"Yes." Lynn stated.

"While we're on the subject of violence and competition, can I ask you another question? Mainly, what have you been up to in your short stay here so far? I ask because I've noticed slight bruising on your face." Ramirez observingly pointed out.

"I got into a fight with some of the other inmates 2 days ago." Lynn admitted.

"That is what I mean, Lynn. Can you identify who it was you fought?" she asked the young girl.

"Some girl named Mamba. It was one on one, but then her lackeys joined in!" Lynn said.

"Mamba. Ah yes, that's her alias. They all go by snake names, that gang. Her real name is Ashley Drake. She's one of the most feared juvie inmates in this place." Ramirez told her.

"Yeah, she and her cronies did a number on me!" Lynn bitterly said.

"Well, maybe it would be best to stay away from them. Though, I've had conversations with Ashley, and behind all the roughness and the unhinged front, she's not so bad." The counsellor revealed.

"Great, another nutjob who's just like me!" Lynn reflected.

"But she's not the type of girl to let that side of her show in public, so you may just want to avoid her the best you can." Ramirez advised.

"Yeah, I would, but something strange happened the earlier today. Mamba came over and actually tried to be my friend." Lynn said.

"Really? That's quite interesting. Mamba isn't usually very kind or outgoing to those she doesn't know." the counsellor stated.

"Well, she seemed like she wanted to be mine. Of course, I told her to buzz off!" Lynn said.

"That's your choice, and I can't blame you, considering she beat you up a few days ago." Ramirez accepted.

"She AND her two friends!" Lynn corrected.

"Lynn! Never mind that! All I'm saying is, if she really wants to be your friend that badly, it might be worth reconsidering your answer. I'm just saying, there isn't much joy to be had within these walls. You might benefit from having at least one close ally you can talk to and rely on in here." the counsellor suggested.

A buzzer then sounded off, signalling the end of the allocated time for their session…

"And that does it for today. I'll probably get you booked in for another slot with me next week. Take care, Lynn Jr." the counsellor said.

"Thanks. By the way, nice name you got. Same as my old principal." Lynn commented.

Lynn then slowly got out of her chair and made her way to the door, where a security guard would be waiting outside, ready to take her back to her cell. She thought the counsellor gave her some sound advice and spoke some very rational sense regarding her violent, competitive disposition. She also gave her an interesting tip regarding her friendship request from earlier that day by Mamba…

…but for all the sound advice she received, certain toxic thoughts were still at the back of her head, mainly those implanted inside her by Viribus the day before. The question was, then…

…would she be able to keep them inside and locked away in her mind, and allow her more positive influences to take effect?

* * *

 _A dozen chapters so far, and the unlucky 13 is up next. But maybe things won't be so unlucky for Lynn or the rest of the Louds. We're about at the halfway point, and there is still more to go yet. Again, the plan will continue as previously stated. About once a week or so, a new chapter will come out. Expect the next one in the weekend. This one was postponed by a day because I was busy during Easter._

 _As always, thanks for following my story and maintaining interest. Keep coming back for more, as there's still more to go. Feedback, as long as it's constructive and just, is always welcome. Be back in about a week, and in the meantime, feel free to check out my content on DeviantArt if you haven't already._


	13. Unexpected Allies

**Chapter 13: Unexpected Allies**

 _Ah, the unlucky number 13. Hopefully for the superstitious Loud sister, that doesn't mean bad news for her in this chapter. Not after everything this story has already put her through. Of course, she did have a minor moment of relief in the previous chapter, thanks to the counsellor session she had with Dr Ramirez. Of course, the advice she was given could backfire, so she'll have to be careful._

 _Lynn is an interesting character to place into this whole situation since prison/juvie is a place which doesn't suit her in the slightest. Firstly, because she's rowdy and a little bit reckless, and she's the sort of person who would probably get herself into trouble or make enemies. Secondly, because sitting in a cell all day is the epitome of boredom (and intentionally so), so for someone like Lynn, that really would be like hell._

* * *

 _Still, she might be getting out of jail soon. Well, I wouldn't just leave her in prison at the end of the story (or would I?). But even if that happens, there may be some unfortunate consequences that come with that. But that's for another chapter._

Another night and morning had passed for the fallen sports star. Lynn had slept relatively well the night before, in part due to the somewhat cathartic therapy session she had with the counsellor the previous afternoon.

Lynn wished she had a ball, like the little one she would normally use to bounce off the wall for a while whenever she was bored or when she wanted to go to sleep. It would at least be something to do to pass the time in the mornings, when she was just in the cell by herself. It would be something to focus on, something to take her mind off all the haunting thoughts.

She patiently waited in her cell for the morning before her lunch hour was set to start. Eventually, that time of the day had arrived and Lynn was sent out for her lunch time again. The guard, as per his routine, used a key to open her cell and let her out, along with the other prisoners.

Curiously, Lynn noticed there were small electrical boxes attached to the outside of each cell, as if there were another way of locking and unlocking the cells without manually using a key. It would make escape attempts far easier to pull off if the system were compromised. Still, she didn't want to question it, and just decided to get on with her day inside juvie.

Lynn then went to the courtyard once again. When she eventually received her serving for the day, her reaction was the typical "Ugh!" that was starting to become daily from her.

"Okay, time to hit the weights!" LJ said to herself as she prepared to pump some iron after eating.

As Lynn approached the weight area, a familiar face appeared…

"Sup, Loud?" Mamba asked as she approached.

"Nothing much." Lynn replied.

"Mind if I join you again?" Mamba requested.

"Knock yourself out." Lynn responded.

The two began to work out together, egging each other on when performing various exercises. When Lynn was doing bench presses, Mamba would give her some encouragement to push herself and do a couple of extra reps, and vice versa. This would continue during the entire workout.

After they were exercised out, Lynn and Mamba decided to rest at one of the tables in the courtyard area for the remainder of their hour of free roam time. Both girls took the opportunity to talk to each other some more. Mamba because she was enthusiastic about being Lynn's friend, and Lynn because she was following the counsellor's advice about being more open to the possibility of making friends inside juvie.

"These babies are getting nice and bulky." Mamba mentioned, looking at her biceps.

"I know, right? Working out is the best! I just love the pump you get from working your muscles." Lynn said.

"It's good to be strong, and tough!" Mamba added.

"It's nice to have someone who gets that." Lynn replied.

At that point, the two girls briefly shared a chuckle. Lynn found it really odd, that somehow the same girl that gave her such an unpleasant welcome just a few days before, was now becoming one of her closest friends.

"Just think! A couple of days ago, we were fighting like cats and dogs." Lynn pointed out.

"Oh yeah, and I kicked your butt!" Mamba gloated.

"Yeah? You and two other girls!" Lynn argued.

"Hmpf. You think I need them to knock you out!?" Mamba said as she stood right in Lynn's face with an intensely angry look.

"Try me, snake girl!" Lynn bit back, staring the intimidating criminal down with a livid look of her own.

After 3 seconds of mutual staring, the girls begin laughing again, revealing their brief argument to be a gag executed by the duo…

…It was quite fortunate for everyone around them, too. If they clashed again, mayhem would be inevitable.

* * *

While Lynn and Mamba enjoyed their precious one hour of free time in the detention centre, Lincoln was having his lunch break at school…

"Lincoln, what are you doing?" Clyde asked.

"I'm going over my notes from yesterday from my sisters." Lincoln said.

"What notes?" Clyde replied.

"I had a talk with my sisters about how I could find out what the coach is up to and how to expose him, and they had some… very interesting advice." Lincoln said.

"Like what?" Clyde asked.

"Like…" but as Lincoln was about to say, he was interrupted.

"Hey, bro!" shouted Lana as she approached her older brother along with her twin.

"Are you going through everything we told you yesterday about digging up dirt?" Lola questioned.

"Yes, I am." Lincoln told her.

"Look, all you need to remember above all else is this! Be sneaky, but tactical, and don't be afraid to resort to dastardly measures if necessary." Lola insisted.

"Thanks." Lincoln said with a slight sense of unease to the advice.

"And when you're confronted with the man, don't hesitate to get up in his face and break him down and make him tell you whatever you want!" Lola followed as she jumped onto the table where Lincoln was eating his lunch and got right up close to Lincoln's face.

"Geez, what kind of pageant contests are you having, Lola?" Lana asked.

"Yeah, um, Lincoln already tried that, and it didn't work. Coach Henry just shoved him away and locked the door when Lincoln confronted him at his house." Clyde said.

"Hmm, maybe it would be worth it if I came along and pressured the truth out of him!" Lola firmly declared with a sinister smile.

"Yeah. I think I'll handle it myself. Thanks anyway, Lola." Lincoln told her.

"Hey! That dumb coach didn't just screw you and Lynn over! He screwed with all of us! I have just as much right to deal with him as you do!" Lola told her brother.

"Actually, that's a pretty fair point, Lincoln. Lynn is our sister, too." Lana inputted.

"When you mess with one Loud, you mess with all of us!" Lola declared.

"Okay, okay! Look, let me try it my way for a while. I'll do what I can to find the evidence I need to find out the truth and prove Lynn's innocence. If my way doesn't work, I'll let you guys go to town on the whole thing." Lincoln proposed.

At that moment, Lisa and Lucy, Lincoln's other sisters who attended school with him, made their way to the table…

"What are my siblings doing talking together at school? I suspect there is a subject of great mutual interest that is being discussed concerning the whole family unit." Lisa stated as she joined in the conversation.

"Lincoln and Lola are continuing yesterday's sibling meeting where we gave Lincoln pointers on how to expose people." Lana answered.

"I thought we already concluded this debate. I already told you the best way to discover and expose things is to place hidden cameras in every corner of his house! That's the best way to gain evidence of anything he's hiding." Lisa conclusively stated.

"Wow, and people call me spooky." Lucy remarked.

"I heard that!" Lisa responded, annoyed.

"I know, you're standing right there." Lucy snarked.

"Lisa, I'm not gonna do that! One that's creepy. Two, how would I even manage to do that?!" Lincoln responded.

"I'm a little sceptical of all this. I don't see how we're going to get close enough to this coach to be able to gather any proof of his guilt, if he even is guilty." Lucy said.

"He IS guilty! And I don't know how I'm realistically going to prove it yet, but I will. Him and whoever is behind all his dirty work!" Lincoln claimed.

"Huh? I don't get it. Why would someone else be in on it with the coach?!" Lana questioned.

"When Lincoln last confronted the coach, he let it slip that somebody had told him about Lincoln." Clyde revealed.

"Wait, so that coach was ordered by somebody else to frame Lynn, and this person knows who Lincoln is, too?!" Lucy asked.

"So, that means this guy could know all of us! He may have a vendetta against all of us Louds!" Lola suggested.

"Not necessarily. The coach seems to have a specific interest in me. Come to think of it, it was a little odd that the coach told the prosecution specifically to ask me up to the stand at the end of the trial. Why would he do that? It's like he somehow knew what about me, and my rocky relationship with Lynn." Lincoln questioned to himself.

"But who would have such an interest, or intense hatred, for you?!" Clyde asked.

All of the Louds and Clyde then pondered that thought for a brief moment, before the family genius came to a suggestion…

"Siblings, and Clyde, it occurs to me that there is one person who comes to mind who meets the criteria of the identity we are trying to uncover." Lisa stated.

"Who?" Lucy asked.

At that moment, when looking at Lisa, Lincoln could tell exactly whom she was referring to. For a brief moment, a sense of intense fear and panic set in as he came to suspect she may be grimly correct…

…however, that moment passed, and he began to think otherwise, for his own sanity's sake…

"No!" he simply responded.

"Huh?" Clyde asked.

"I know who you're referring to, Lisa. Honestly, no. Let's not even go there!" Lincoln said, refusing to believe what Lisa was implying could be true.

"Brother. He does fulfil the requirements." Lisa bluntly pointed out.

"Who does?" asked Lola.

"Who are you guys talking about?" Lana questioned.

Lisa then raised her eyebrows at her sisters, inferring as if the suggestion she was making was beyond obvious. After a brief moment, the other sisters caught on to what Lisa and Lincoln were discussing.

"Lisa, just… no! It can't be! He's gotta be locked up, far away from here!" Lincoln insisted, albeit very unconvincingly.

"Yeah, I bet he's in Guantanamo Bay or something!" Lana said.

"Ugh! Such a grimy, horrible place! Suits the jerk perfectly!" Lola commented.

"How can you be sure?" Lucy asked her brother.

"Look, let's just drop it, it's not him! I'll find out who it is, and I'll bring them to justice, but I know for a fact that it can't be Viribus!" Lincoln firmly told everyone present.

"Why is that?" Clyde asked.

"Because if it were… we'd probably all be dead already!" Lincoln grimly concluded.

* * *

As Lynn's free roam hour came to an end, she and Mamba shared a few parting words before they would each go off and be forced to spend multiple hours alone in a cell…

"Killer workout today, ponytail. Same again tomorrow?" Mamba asked.

"You bet!" Lynn replied.

"Good. It's great having a workout buddy like you, Loud. You're just so driven and motivated. It's cool having another girl around who's as strong as I am." Mamba complimented.

"Thanks. You have some pretty good discipline yourself." Lynn said.

"Yeah, well, I have to be the toughest I can be. I don't have anyone else to depend on, so…" Mamba said, before Lynn interrupted her.

"What do you mean by that?" Lynn asked out of interest.

"Eh, not important. You don't wanna hear about some whiny stuff like that." Mamba concluded.

"Come on, Mambs. You can tell me. We're amigos, remember?" Lynn assured her.

"I'm just saying, I had to be a bit of a bad girl! When your dad runs away and your mom overdoses when your 13, it's gets pretty tough for ya!" Mamba said.

"Oh, wow. Sorry to hear it." Lynn said sympathetically.

"Like I said, don't worry about it. Old news. All that matters is right here, right now, and that I'm the big dog of this yard!" Mamba bragged.

Lynn sensed that behind the confidence and the tough exterior, lied a charade.

"That's rough! So… did you have anyone at all you could count on?" Lynn asked out of curiosity.

"Eh, not really. I guess there was my grandmother. She was alright. She's been sick for a while, though." Mamba mentioned.

"That sucks. What's the cause?" Lynn asked.

"Kidney disease. Chronic illness. She's been in a hospital bed for many months now." Mamba told her.

"Just so you know, if there's anything I can do to help, you can ask me anytime." Lynn reassuringly informed her newest friend.

"That's nice and all, ponytail, but in case you don't remember we're all stuck in a prison together! What are you going to do to help from in here?" Mamba replied as she gave Lynn a reminder and a reality check.

"Hey! I'm just offering a helping hand! No need to be a jerk!" Lynn said back.

"Ugh! Forget about it! It's none of your business, and it's not something I want to think about anymore. All that matters for me is right here, right now." Mamba insisted.

"Okay! Sorry! I'll drop it, alright?" Lynn said.

"It's cool. Let's just forget about it." Mamba told her.

Mamba and Lynn both then began walking towards the other juvie inmates who were present in the courtyard at that moment. The free roam hour was just about over, but first, Mamba wanted to introduce her new friend to her gang…

"Yo! Viper, Mamushi, look who's now one of my buds!" Mamba shouted as she approached her cronies.

"Looks like freckles has realised who the top dogs are around here!" Viper commented.

"Good thing, too! She wouldn't want to be on our bad side twice!" Mamushi said.

"Yep, she knows where it's at in here! Ponytail's alright." Mamba complimented.

After each of Mamba's friends gave Lynn a friendly fist-bump, the time for socialising came to an end. As such, a message was blasted from the speakers in the facility all over the courtyard…

"Attention, all inmates of Royal Woods Juvenile Detention Centre and local prison, the designated hour for free roam time is now over. All inmates must return to their cells immediately."

Of course, this message played at the same time every day, so the prisoners were more than used to hearing it…

"Great, time to go back to our rotten rooms again!" Viper moaned.

"Nice meeting ya, kid." Mamushi said to Lynn.

"I'll see you again, Loud." Mamba told Lynn.

"Great, I'm here all week." Lynn joked as she too began to part ways with the other girls.

As all the girls began to walk their separate ways and return to their cells, Lynn thought to herself that there was a silver lining to her predicament, however small it was. At least, if she was going to be in a cell for many months to come, at least she was making some valuable allies in there, albeit some very unexpected ones, given what happened between them and herself when they first met. Still, it was better to be friends with these girls than enemies with them.

Besides, developing new friendships and having social interactions with them prevented her from being alone too often, which stopped her from clouding her mind with uncomfortable thoughts… like the fact that next door contained a psychopath who was out for revenge against her entire family.

As Lynn left the courtyard with the others, she took one final glance, and could vaguely see from the other end of the area the fence that separated her from the adult prisoners. From there, she could barely make out the face that was there…

…it was him. She knew it. Viribus was still watching her.

* * *

 _And that's chapter 13. Probably one of the more relatively upbeat and carefree chapters of this story, actually. But make no mistake, the current stage of the narrative is simply the calm before the storm. But for now, that will do._

 _As usual, thanks for reading. Constructive feedback is always welcome. I always aim to improve, after all. For now, I will be back online next week for chapter 14._


	14. Operation Breakout

**Chapter 14: Operation Breakout**

 _Alright, this is where things start getting interesting. Lynn's life inside juvie has relatively improved in the last few chapters. She has made new friends out of the unlikeliest of individuals. She received a cathartic therapy session with the counsellor, and compared to how she was doing around chapters 6 and 7, things are looking… well, not too bad, at least._

 _Of course, good things just can't last, can they? Let's see what's in store for the energetic jock in chapter 14._

* * *

It was a new day, and Lynn's life in juvie suddenly seemed just slightly less intolerable, all thanks to the fact that she at least had a few valuable allies in there with her. Most notably, the alpha female of all the juvie inmates, Mamba of the snake trio. Of all the girls she was going to make friends with, Lynn never would have guessed it would be with the girl who assaulted her on her first day.

But then again, that's why it was such a pleasant surprise…

"Yo, yo, Mamba!" Lynn shouted to her friend as she met her in the courtroom after eating lunch.

"Lynnsanity, how's it hanging?" Mamba replied.

"So, what muscles you wanna go and work on today, huh?" Lynn asked her new friend.

"Actually, before we go off and do all that, I have to talk to you." Mamba responded.

"Oh?" Lynn replied confused.

"Just… come over here." Mamba said as she dragged Lynn off to the corner of the courtyard for a private conversation.

"Okay, what gives? Why waste our hour of free time to skulk around in the corner?!" Lynn questioned.

"Listen for a second. Remember what I talked to you about yesterday?" Mamba asked.

"What? We talked about a whole bunch of stuff." Lynn recalled.

"I meant about that stuff with my grandmother and her sickness?" Mamba reminded her.

"Oh, yeah, you did say something about that." Lynn remembered.

"Yeah, well, I was allowed to make one call this morning to the hospital for an update, and it was bad news!" Mamba revealed.

"Oh… I'm so sorry to hear that. Is it…?" Lynn asked.

"The end? No, not yet. She has a few weeks to live, they told me." Mamba said as she sadly hung her head down.

"That's horrible. I understand if you don't want to work out today. You just take some time to deal with this, all the time you need." Lynn reassuringly told her friend.

"Thanks. That means a lot." Mamba softly responded.

For the first time, Mamba was showing a side of vulnerability that Lynn hadn't seen until that point. Lynn was no stranger to those who had a tough exterior but a softer, more fragile interior.

"Look, if you need me to be there for you, or anything, just let me know." Lynn reassured her.

"Well, actually, there is something." Mamba replied.

"Oh, okay. What?" Lynn curiously asked.

"Let's go to the corner and talk in private." Mamba whispered to her friend.

Lynn then followed the snake girl leader to the corner of the courtyard area, where they could have a more private conversation.

"Lynn, you said you'd do anything for me, right?" Mamba asked.

"Um, yeah…" Lynn uneasily confirmed, suspicious of what she was about to be asked to do.

"The thing is, I'd give anything to see her one last time, you know, before she snuffs it!" Mamba said.

"Well, yeah, I know, but you can't get out of here, so that's that." Lynn reminded her.

Mamba then looked over to make sure no security guards were patrolling nearby in the area to make sure nobody else heard the following request…

"Lynn, I need you to help me get out of here." Mamba told her.

"WHAT?!" Lynn shouted, startled by such a suggestion.

Mamba then covered Lynn's mouth, leaned closer and responded…

"Do you wanna repeat that, though just a little louder, because there's some moron down the other end of the courtyard who didn't quite catch it all?!" Mamba quietly but furiously said to Lynn.

"I'm sorry, it's just that I don't get asked everyday to start a prison break!" Lynn angrily whispered back.

"No, look. I've spent a while in this place. I know this place pretty well. I know a way to get out. Lynn, I need you to help me escape." Mamba said.

"Mamba, I can't do that!" Lynn replied.

"You said you'd do anything!" Mamba reminded her.

"Yeah, but…" Lynn replied.

"Please, it would mean the world to me. Look, I know it's a risky move, and yeah, if we get caught, there will be consequences! But I've never needed something so badly like I do right now! I wouldn't ask you for help if I weren't desperate." Mamba justified.

"Do you really think you'll just get away, even if I help you?!" Lynn questioned.

"No. I know it won't take long for them to recapture me even if I do manage to get out! I'm not looking to escape for good. All I need is enough time to go find and see my dying grandmother one last time before she goes away forever." the snake gang leader told the fallen jock.

Lynn thought about it for a moment. She did promise she would do anything to help her friend, but at the same time, going to that measure to do so was not something she felt comfortable with…

"If we get caught, we could both have our sentences increased massively." Lynn reminded her friend.

"I know, but I'm willing to take that risk." Mamba answered.

"And what about me?! Maybe I don't want to stay in here forever!" Lynn said.

"I know, but that's why I'm asking you. You're Lynn Loud Junior, right? As in, the local sports star in Royal Woods? Your athletic ability is through the roof!" Mamba said.

"Well, I don't like to brag, but…" Lynn boastfully stated.

"Then of all the people to do something like this, you're probably the only one who could do it and not get caught!" Mamba told her, appealing to her sense of ego.

"Well, I guess that's true." Lynn bragged.

"So, if I give you advice and guidance, you use your ninja-like agility and stealth and get me out of here. What do you say?" Mamba proposed.

Lynn looked down at the ground for a few seconds as she debated whether or not she should, before looking back up at her friend. She could see the look of desperation on the tough girl's face. While it seemed mamba was trying to hide it, Lynn could see right through the act. Lynn felt sympathy for the girl…

"I want to help you, but this feels like I'm crossing the line." Lynn said, debating inside her head.

"I know it feels wrong, but trust me, it's right. You'd be helping a friend in need." Mamba stated.

"If I do this, I need you to promise that you won't try to run away for good. In fact, I want you to turn yourself in and come back here as soon as you're done with your visit." Lynn told her.

"Fine. Consider it a deal. As I said, I only want to get out so I can see her. That's all. After that, I'll come back." Mamba promised as she extended her hand for a handshake deal.

"Alright. I'll try to help you." Lynn said as she accepted the handshake.

The deal was on.

"Great! Free roam hour's going to end soon, follow me when it does and we'll sneak out while everyone else goes back to their cells." Mamba instructed.

* * *

Later on, Lynn and Mamba quietly sneaked out of the courtyard while the other inmates returned to their cells, subtly detaching themselves from the flock of prisoners that the guards were paying close attention to. They landed themselves in a corridor, away from the cells. Mamba then put her plan into action…

"Okay, first, put this on." Mamba said as she handed Lynn a ninja outfit.

"Well, it's not the first time I've put on a ninja suit to sneak through a security system." Lynn remarked, recollecting the time she worked with her siblings against Lisa's truth revealing tech, or when she was sneaking around in Pop-pop's old folks home.

"Alright, here's what you have to do." Mamba started, before she whispered a series of instructions into Lynn's ear.

"Got it." Lynn said.

Lynn then leaped into action while Mamba hid. Lynn sneaked down a corridor where there was a security guard, patrolling the area. The walls were dark, not too dissimilar in colour from her ninja outfit, which she used to blend into her surroundings. The guard was facing away from her, but was starting to turn around.

Lynn quickly looked up and saw a light hanging down from the ceiling. She was small, and didn't weigh too much. She thought quickly as the guard turned around to look in her direction. But he didn't see anyone, because Lynn had jumped up and clung onto the hanging light above his head.

The guard then walked past and further down the corridor, and Lynn progressed further. At the end of the corridor, there was a door, Lynn opened it, and through it was a warehouse-like room. Inside were a load of firearms, shields, batons, helmets and other combat-oriented gear and equipment. No doubt, it was there for the staff of the facility to use whenever there was an outbreak or a riot. Lynn slowly and carefully, with great stealth, made her way through the room, being mindful of not only other guards but also any cameras which may have been hidden in plain sight.

She saw one camera was turning and was about to catch her, so she somersaulted out of the way and behind a stack of old boxes, and waited for the camera to continue rotating past her direction. Once she knew the coast was clear, she proceeded.

"Come on, ponytail! You got this!" Mamba said to herself as she watched Lynn make her way through all the hurdles.

Lynn made it through the storage room and into another hallway, this time with another guard who was napping on the job.

"Heh, easy." Lynn told herself, knowing she could take advantage of the guard's laziness.

Lynn carefully tip-toed past the guard sleeping in his chair, when suddenly…

*Ring tone plays*

The guard's cell phone started ringing, prompting him to wake up. In a panic, Lynn makes a run for it before the guard can fully awaken and realise someone's there.

After quickly escaping the hallway, she found herself beside a staircase, which she used to make her way up to the next level. She quickly came across an elevator. Remembering Mamba's instructions, she knew said elevator only worked if you had a pass, which only employees of the detention centre had, to prevent prisoners using it to aid their escape efforts.

"Okay, here goes nothing!" Lynn said to herself.

Lynn didn't have a card pass, nor a secret code to help her gain access. But she did have the weapon of brute force. She simply punched the electronic box on the outside of the elevator that controlled who could use the elevator. Fortunately, it had the intended effect of disabling the elevator's security system and allowed free access.

"Lynn for the win!" she praised herself as she pressed the button to use the elevator.

On the floor below, Mamba was waiting when she could hear faint footsteps in the background. A guard was mere moments from approaching and seeing her out of her cell…

"Hurry up, Lynn!" Mamba complained to herself.

Just then, the elevator door opened, with Lynn inside.

"Hop in." Lynn smugly said.

"Took ya long enough!" Mamba quietly bit back.

The two then used the elevator to make it to the secret underground floor of the building.

"Can't believe simply punching the thing actually allowed us to use the elevator." Lynn said.

"This is one of Grip's prisons. Cheap tech. What did you expect?" Mamba remarked.

The two then made their way to the control room, but upon approach, there were two more guards outside of it. The girls hid behind a wall so they were out of sight, while they quietly discussed their next move.

"Okay, Lynn-ja, think you can sneak behind those guys and swipe their tasers?" Mamba asked.

"Ha, piece of cake!" Lynn claimed.

After a few seconds, Lynn had managed to sneak her way behind the guards and quickly pull the tasers out of their pockets. She then quickly made her way back to Mamba.

"Now what?" Lynn asked as she handed Mamba one of the tasers.

"THIS!" Mamba roared, before quickly running towards the guards.

Both guards saw the inmate approaching them, and instinctively went to grab their tasers to restrain the hostile convict, but they reached for them and realised they were gone. Mamba then used one of said tasers to stun one of the guards. The second guard then tried to wrestle with Mamba for the taser.

"Help me, Lynn!" Mamba told her.

Lynn was unsure if she was really going to cross that line, but while she debated inside her own mind, Mamba kneed the guard in the crotch and tasered him. Fortunately for Lynn, she didn't need to attack the prison guards like her ally requested.

"Quick, in here!" Mamba told Lynn.

* * *

The two girls entered the control room. A room with a series of buttons, levers and devices that controlled the building's security systems.

"Okay, I'll bite. If you want to escape, why have you told me to get us in here?" Lynn asked.

"Easy, this." Mamba replied, as she pushed a big red button that was beside her.

The button she had just pressed was to deactivate the security system in place. The cameras, the lights, and so on. All the security measures in place, minus the workforce itself, were disabled at that moment.

A warning alarm buzzed across the building, alerting the staff of the prison centre that the security measures were neutralised, and also giving the prisoners and juvie inmates a chance to make an escape.

"What is that?! What did you just do!?" Lynn questioned.

"Easy, I've disabled all the security in this place! The cameras, the lights. The electric charge through the fences! Do you know there's even an electronic lock system for all the prisoner cells? They've just been switched off." Mamba smugly confirmed.

"WHAT?!" Lynn asked, shocked.

Prisoners, adult and juvie alike, began swarming out from their cells all throughout the building. Countless juvie and adult prisoners were making a run for it…

…but even with the building's security system having been tampered with, the prison guards were still there to stop them. They pulled out their firearms and forced many of the prisoners to return to their cells.

But they couldn't stop all of the prisoners. Many were still able to exploit the situation and find ways to successfully escape. All while Lynn continued to interrogate Mamba in the control room.

"Why did you do that?!" Lynn asked furiously.

"Because I can!" Mamba pridefully stated.

"I helped you! You said you wanted to get out of here, to see your grandmother!" Lynn said.

"Yeah, well, I had to say that, to get you to help me!" Mamba explained.

Lynn then emitted an audible "Grrr" before launching herself towards the larger girl. Lynn jumped on top of Mamba, and proceeded to deliver a trio of punches to the face. Mamba then turned the tables and flipped herself on top of Lynn, and returned the favour.

"Ready for round 2, huh?" Mamba asked.

Lynn then managed to get her legs between herself and Mamba and kicked the snake girl off of her. As both girls got to their feet, Mamba attempted a haymaker punch but Lynn dodged it, and then headbutted her. As Mamba was dazed, Lynn went for a roundhouse kick to the head, followed by a leg sweep. Before Mamba could get up, Lynn placed her foot over her throat.

"Not so tough without your back-up, huh?!" Lynn said.

"Go ahead, finish me off! It's too late! It worked! All the prisoners are breaking free!" Mamba bitterly struggled to say.

"Why do you want all the prisoners to break free?!" Lynn questioned as she slightly loosened the pressure on her neck, allowing her to speak.

"Because for all the lies I told you, like wanting you to help me and only me get out of here, there's one thing I said that's true. My grandmother is dying, and I do want to see her." Mamba admitted.

"So, why does helping all the other prisoners escape help with that?!" Lynn asked, confused.

"Because she's a long way away and I need help to get to her. Royal Woods isn't my hometown, ponytail! I came here with my gang after running and hiding from the law, but me and my family come from miles away! I was told by one of the adult prisoners that if I helped him escape, he would repay me by taking me to see my grandmother. That's why I had to trick you!" Mamba revealed.

Lynn could immediately figure out what that meant…

"Oh, and let me guess, this prisoner who promised you that, was his name Viribus?!" asked the sporty Loud girl.

"Yeah, as it happens. Does it matter now? You're too late to stop us! Security is down, and all the criminals in this place are getting out!" Mamba said.

"Hardly. The security guards will stop them!" Lynn insisted.

"Maybe some of them, but they won't be able to stop all of them! Many of the people locked up in here have outside contacts to help them escape. Many of them have escape tunnels or secret ways out! Many have been planning escape attempts for a long time, it's not like there's much else to do inside their cells, and this will be the golden opportunity for them to do it. Heck, even a few of the guards here are likely undercover criminals ready to aid the scum of this place break free, the first chance they get! Prisoners escaping prison is hardly rare, Lynn, and this place has just had its security system brought down! Face it, tonight there will be carnage in Royal Woods!" Mamba explained to Lynn.

Lynn wanted to retaliate but before she could form a response, a dreadful and terrifying thought began to occupy her mind. She slowly released her foot from Mamba's neck and froze for a moment while Mamba took the chance to make a run for it. Lynn was about to run herself, but in pursuit rather than escape…

…because it hit her that Viribus was about to escape from prison, and her entire family was in danger!

* * *

 _Well, it's about to hit the fan in chapter 15. Stay tuned for the confrontation between Lynn and Viribus next time. By next time, that will probably be a couple of weeks from now, since I have other commitments to concentrate on. For example, I will be spending the next week writing a discussion piece regarding season 3 of the show and in what areas it has improved in quality compared to the previous two._

 _As usual, I hope you enjoyed this chapter. Any feedback is welcome as long as it's constructive, and I encourage you stick around for more. Check out my DeviantArt for more content._


	15. Unleashed and Unhinged

**Chapter 15: Unleashed and Unhinged**

 _Well, all hell is about to break loose. All of the criminals in the local prison and juvie are free, and worst of all, so is Viribus. Now Lynn has to race against the clock to find him and prevent him from escaping before he makes it back to Royal Woods, and back to the Loud house._

 _But can she stop him?_

* * *

Lynn Loud Junior ran as fast as her little legs could take her, towards the empty cells where the adult prisoners were before being freed. She knew the chaos that was ensuing around her was her own fault, and she knew she would have to put things right. She also came to the conclusion that the first task she would have to complete in order to do that was to put a stop to Viribus's plans.

She could see numerous empty prison cells, all with doors open, and no guards in sight, most probably because they were dealing with recapturing as many escapee attempters as possible.

Eventually, Lynn came across a cell with the door wide open, and nothing but a bed in the corner. She felt something was up, and decided to peak underneath the bed…

…when she did, she saw a giant hole was underneath where the bed was placed. A secret escape route in one of the holes. No doubt, multiple criminals used that as their preferred way out.

* * *

Viribus had already casually and slowly made his way through the escape tunnel that the other criminals had created, and was in the underground sewer that it led to. He could smell freedom… among some other foul things.

Lynn quickly forced her way through said tunnel and into the sewers herself. She was determined to catch up with Viribus and stop him from making his escape…

"YOU!" Lynn screamed upon finally having caught up with him.

Viribus then turned around to see the young sporty tomboy facing him, with a very angry and determined expression on her face.

"Ah, you again. Didn't I tell you, kid? You would help me, and you likely wouldn't even know you were doing it." Viribus reminded the child.

"Enough talk! You tricked me! Your latest little puppet Mamba told me!" Lynn angrily told him.

"I know. Pulling your strings is actually rather fun." he said.

"How many more people are working for you?! How many puppets do you have to screw with me!? First my baseball coach, and now my so-called friend in juvie!?" she demandingly asked him.

"I've had a lot of time to plan this, kid. There's not much to do in prison other than eat, sleep, work out and sit around pondering to yourself." Viribus explained.

"That does it! You want to mess with my life so bad?! Okay, let's settle it now! You and me!" Lynn challenged.

Viribus then looked down at the short, young teenager with a surprised and slightly befuddled look on his face, not sure if he could take the challenge she just issued seriously…

"Are you out of your mind?" he quickly asked her, before walking over and getting right in her face.

"Are you out of your fricking mind?! Kid, you're 13 and about 2 foot 4. I am an elite combatant and a superior being. What chance do you think you have?" he condescendingly asked her, struggling to hold back laughter.

This only angered an already enraged Lynn even more. She had a temper even at the best of times, and Viribus was doing his best to push her buttons.

Lynn then suddenly snapped and leaped towards the larger adult with all her energy and aggression. She did everything in her power to put her opponent down. She went for a fury of fast punches, kicks, and martial arts moves. Every single strike and movement was executed with not only precision and speed, but also emotion and power. Lynn wanted to hurt Viribus, and she wasn't going to let anything stop her.

"Impressive, for a small child." Viribus complemented.

But soon enough, as the battle continued, reality began to resurface. Lynn was an exceptionally tough little girl, but a little girl she was nonetheless. Viribus hopelessly outclassed her, and it began to show the moment he started to fight back. Viribus had blocked, evaded or absorbed every single blow Lynn had dealt him with remarkable ease. He was an incredible fighter before, but this time, he was bigger and stronger than ever. Lynn was a tough little kid, but she was no match.

Viribus suddenly went for a simple backhand that was still strong enough to send the girl staggering backwards. Lynn retaliated with a flying spinning back kick, but Viribus simply grabbed her leg in mid-air and used Lynn's momentum against her to send her plummeting into the wall of the sewer. Lynn landed face first in the sewer water, something disgusting enough to gross even her out.

"Loud, make it easy on yourself and stay on the ground." Viribus told the angry girl.

But Lynn was never one to give up so easily. She got up and continued to throw furious punches with her remaining energy. Viribus blocked the first few, then countered with a quick open hand strike to the ribs, which was enough to take some of the air out of Lynn. The girl then responded with a quick hop in the air and an attempted headbutt, but Viribus simply slipped out of the way, and then dealt a quick knee strike to Lynn's face.

Lynn retreated and she tried to regain her breath. She was tired and damaged, and even bleeding from the mouth because of the knee.

"Do you ever learn?" Viribus asked the impulsive sports girl.

"Sure. I learned this!" Lynn responded before attempting a jump of the sewer wall, propelling her body in the air.

From there, Lynn attempted a superman punch straight to the face, but Viribus saw it coming. His response was… to simply move out of the way and make Lynn miss. A casual step to the side was all it took.

"STAND STILL!" Lynn shouted as she became frustrated.

Viribus then quickly approached the young girl and executed a practical if dirty move where he took his two fingers and jabbed them into Lynn's throat. He pushed inwards and then downwards, all in a split second. This was enough to force Lynn to the floor.

From there, he put one foot on her back, and then began lifting her head up by the ponytail. After applying enough force, Lynn was visibly struggling with the pain.

"Just tell me when you want it to stop." Viribus encouraged her.

"NEVER!" Lynn blurted.

"The fight's already over." Viribus assured her.

"Not as long… as I'm still… STANDING!" Lynn firmly told him, despite the struggle she was in.

"You're not." Viribus reminded her.

Viribus then let go of the girl, knowing she was exhausted and too hurt to continue anyway. He had made short work of the young girl.

"Consider yourself lucky. Had I have put in any real effort, you would be terminated by now." he told her.

"Pfft. Why wouldn't you just finish me off?!" she asked.

"I do not intend to harm you. In fact, I don't want to oppose you at all." he stated.

"What? You still hope that I'll join you or something?" she wondered.

"I do." he simply confirmed.

"Well, that ain't ever gonna happen! You're scum! I would never join you!" she said.

Viribus then crouched down towards the defeated child, who was still on the floor and in a little pain, and continued his conversation…

"Why? Why are you so committed to opposing me?" he sincerely asked.

"Seriously?! Didn't I make myself clear the other day!?" she reminded him.

"Loud. I know I've done some things which may not have benefitted you in the short term. But long term, this will be the best thing that ever happened to you… if you allow it." he cryptically told her.

"What does that mean?!" she asked cynically.

"I told you. You and I are alike, whether you like it or not. You also see the value of a competitive mindset, of the need to be the best, because otherwise everyone makes you feel like the worst." he calmly but solidly informed the hurt girl.

Lynn looked him straight in the eyes, with a passionately angry yet slightly edgy and upset facial look. She was trying really hard to hide it, but there was a slight tear in her eye, formed as a result of how close his informative statements were hitting home.

"As I said, nobody else understands your struggle. To think of all the things you could have been if people weren't so automatically harsh towards you. You could have been a kind, well respected girl and a benevolent sports star, instead of a reckless, violent jock." Viribus said.

"I am respected, people like me!" Lynn desperately insisted to the condescendingly man standing above her.

"Your fellow sports players may respect you for your abilities, but they view you as a low and petty human being, with too much ego and too much obsession with winning every contest!" Viribus corrected.

"You're wrong." Lynn quietly told herself, trying extremely hard to resist his will.

"Why do you continue to deny the truth, kid? I'm only telling you how it is. No one else knows you better than me. We both wish it could have been different, that we could have made it as 'normal' people in this world. But we're not normal, are we? We're exceptional." he concluded.

Lynn finally regained the strength to stand back up on her feet, though even then, she was only facing a crouched down Viribus at eye level.

"Just stay out of my head! I don't care what you say, we're not the same! I've never done anything half as bad as you! I'm not a monster!" Lynn bitterly told Viribus.

"You think the world out there sees any difference? We're both prisoners, aren't we? They think of you as the same irredeemable abomination they think I am. And do you know what else? Maybe you're better off if you own it." Viribus advised her, before standing back up and looking down at her.

"What do you mean?" Lynn asked, tilting her head upwards.

"Lynn Loud, listen to me. I could have drowned you in sewer water right now, I could have bashed your head into the wall, or used a number of different methods to end your life right now if I wanted to." Viribus said.

"Then why didn't you?!" Lynn questioned.

"I don't want to. Lynn, you don't need to continue struggling. Trying to fight so hard to get by through acting tough, so you won't be the victim of cruel treatment. The truth is, you can't do that alone. Your scuffle with Mamba and her cronies should have taught you that. I want you to join me." Viribus offered.

"Wha..?" Lynn blurted out.

Viribus then extended his hand out to the young girl, and gave her a choice…

"It's your choice, Lynn Loud. You can go back to your family, and go back to being hated and struggle with your life. Or you can come with me, and ascend into glory! You and I can be number 1, forever!" he said, tempting her to side with him.

Lynn stood there for a moment, unsure of what to do. She knew that the man who was in front of her was a mentally damaged, sadistic, destructive person. She didn't believe his words were very trustworthy…

…and yet, a part of her felt the urge to take him up on his tempting offer. After all, Lynn knew behind his attempts to brainwash, some truth was melded within the meanings of his claims. She was someone who became a violent and overly competitive, somewhat damaged person because of how people had treated her. She was someone struggling to get by in life. Her desire to be number 1 was rooted in her need for clarification that she wasn't just some worthless loser. Viribus was right about one thing. They were similar, even if that fact made her sick to her stomach.

"I… I don't know what to think anymore. Everything that's happened to me, the last couple of weeks of my life, have been horrible! No… the last couple of years! I, I never wanted to be this way! To be like this! I just wanted to have fun, play sports and get along with people!" she admitted.

Viribus then placed his hand on her shoulder and gave her a few words of advice…

"So did I, child. I wish it could've been different, too. But it's not. I only say this because I want to make sure you make the right choice. Loud, I see greatness in you. You don't need to be a part of that weak-minded Loud family anymore. You can be with me!" he told her, before placing his hand off her shoulder and back out in front of her, reoffering the handshake.

Lynn looked down into the sewer water for a brief moment, and looked at a vague and partially blurred reflection of herself. She appeared saddened and even uncertain for a moment… but that uncertainty quickly transformed into anger and determination. She remembered everything she was put through in her life, and all the bad thoughts that had been plaguing her mind. At that moment, she knew what she wanted to do…

She accepted the handshake.

"You know what? You're right! You might have been responsible for all the guff I've dealt with for the last 2 weeks, but I understand. You were doing it for my own good. To teach me a few good lessons! Thanks." She told him.

"No, thank you, Lynn Loud! You will make an excellent ally." he told her, visibly satisfied with the fact that she accepted his offer.

* * *

The two headed for the exit of the sewer and soon found themselves in a small, rural area outside of Royal Woods.

"You made the right decision today, Loud." Viribus told her.

"I know." Lynn replied.

"From this moment on, you are one of my followers. A 'Virion' if you will. As such, it is only appropriate I give you a new title, one which reflects your prestigious status." Viribus stated.

Lynn then developed a slightly excited and intrigued look on her face.

"Lynn Loud. You will now be known as… Primis." he declared.

"Primis?" she asked confused.

"Yes. It means 'first' in Latin." Viribus clarified.

"First? I like the sound of that!" Lynn said.

"You run along now, Primis." Viribus said.

"Where are you going?" Lynn asked out of concern.

"I have plans involving all of Royal Woods, and some unfinished business to resolve. Never you mind right now." he said with great vagueness.

* * *

While Viribus and 'Primis' joined the other escaped criminals in free roaming Royal Woods, Lincoln and the Louds were at home, watching an episode of Dream Boat together, having one of the first truly enjoyable experiences as a family unit since the day of the trial. Of course, they may have been better watching the news given the story of great importance that was bound to be in the headlines that evening. However, even when trying to relax and be entertained, there was a sense of negativity surrounding them…

"Eh, this show has lost its pizzazz." Lola claimed.

"These guys are literally the worst." Lori stated.

"I dunno about this, dudes. I don't think this show is doing so well right now." Luna argued.

"Dang it. I see what people mean when they say I'm too sad all the time. Listening to all of you is getting really annoying." Lucy said.

"We're sorry. We don't mean to be so down in the dumps. It's just that this whole thing with Lynn has had an effect on us." Leni defended.

But while the sisters tried and struggled to watch Dream Boat with a cynical and unhopeful mindset, Lincoln was still sitting at the table, writing his notes. He was still focused on his personal task of setting Lynn free and exposing Viribus's puppet. Of course, such facts were unbeknownst to him…

"I've got to figure out how I'm going to go about discovering the man behind Henry. Who could be making him do all these horrible things?" Lincoln asked himself while he observed his notes.

But Lincoln's thought processing was interrupted by an overdue request…

"Kids! It's time we stopped moping around the house. We've spent the last few days feeling sorry for ourselves and screwing around, and I understand why. But it's time we took some responsibility. LJ is in jail, and it's been days since she was sent there. We still haven't actually paid her a visit!" Lynn Sr told his children.

"Exactly, honey. We've been letting the Lynn stuff destroy us too much! We've all been a mess this past week! Everyone single one of us has had faces like smacked puppies, Lincoln has been going on a wild hunt against Lynn's baseball coach! Lola's even stopped with her home schooling! It's about time we got off our butts and into the van! Visiting hours at the juvie should be at least another 2 hours. That gives is plenty of time." Rita added.

"That settles it. We're going to see Lynn right now… as soon as I finish going to the bathroom!" Lynn Sr quickly stated before rushing upstairs.

All the kids decided to agree to their father's proposal and get off the sofa and prepare for a visit to the local detention centre. Lincoln, too, prepared himself to go out. He had been investigating with little success for the past few days, but maybe a conversation with Lynn herself would help him gain the answers he was searching for, he thought.

Moments before the Loud family was ready to leave the house, someone rang the door-bell.

"I'll get it!" Lincoln answered.

Lincoln rushed to the door, eager to quickly finish the interaction with whoever he was about to meet, as he wanted to get down to the juvie in good time and see his sister after several days of her absence.

Lincoln turned the door-knob and opened the door. The happy face he had at that moment quickly turned into dread as his head tilted upwards to see his interlocutor.

"Hello, Lincoln Loud. I'm here to destroy you and everyone you love! Tell me, is this a bad time?" Viribus sadistically joked, before preparing to attack the young boy.

Lincoln's expression was that of pure terror. The monstrous man whom he thought he'd seen the last of was back, and right in front of him. With only dread and fear present in his head at that moment, the only word his mouth could let out at that moment was…

"AARGH!"

* * *

 _Well, now the Louds are in trouble. Viribus is out of prison, and not only did Lynn fail to stop him, but he's seemingly managed to convince to join his side. It would appear Lynn has been corrupted by the criminal mastermind and is on a dark path. But will she be able to come out of it?_

 _But more immediately, Lincoln and the rest of the family are in danger as they are confronted by the man they once defeated. Out for vengeance, will the Loud family make it out of the next chapter in one piece? Come back and read the next chapter in a week's time to find out…_

 _Also, thank you, readers, for waiting an extra week for a new chapter update, since I had another task to complete last week involving my season 3 thoughts on the show. Hopefully, it was worth the wait for you guys._


	16. House Hunt

**Chapter 16: House Hunt**

 _Another week, another chapter. This time we see what happens when Lincoln is confronted at his house by his old friend (or foe) from Pushover or Payback. Naturally, things should get tense as this has been in the building for quite some time. Of course, Viribus will have to get past the whole family before he can get his hands on the boy responsible for his defeat. But will they be able to stop him?_

* * *

Lincoln's heart trembled in fear as he stared up at the fearsome foe who was at his doorstep. He knew the man had an intent to maim and hurt, and he was the primary target. He slowly took a step back in fear of the vengeful being.

"STAY BACK! GET AWAY FROM ME!" Lincoln screamed in fear as he fell to the floor in fright, still looking at Viribus as he got closer to the boy.

"Yo, dudes! What's going on with Linc in there?!" Luna asked as the rest of the family heard the commotion coming from the front door.

The 9 sisters quickly approached the front door to find Lincoln's life in danger…

"YOU!" the sisters collectively yelled towards Viribus.

"How tiresome." Viribus remarked, knowing he would have to deal with the girls first before reaching his target.

"Get away from him!" Lori shouted.

"If you want our bro, you're gonna have to get through all of us, dude!" Luna threatened.

"YEAH!" the twins both yelled.

Viribus then let out a cocky and condescending smirk, before replying…

"Alright."

He then continued to walk towards Lincoln, who was cornered in the living room. But before he could lay his hands on the boy, Lola and Lucy had jumped on top of him…

"GET HIM!" Lana shouted as she pointed towards the intruder.

Lori and Leni also tackled Viribus, and they were closely followed by the remaining sisters. All of them were clinging onto the large man, trying to bring him to the ground, or at least slow him down and gradually subdue him…

…but their efforts were futile. Even though it was 9 on 1, beating Viribus was no easy feat. He was tough enough before, but his time inside prison only allowed him to become physically bigger and stronger than before. He was a hugely muscular man with a lot of raw strength and power, and a lot of general size and weight against the generally petite Loud girls.

Just as it looked like the girls were close to successfully dogpiling him to the ground and subduing him, Viribus used a burst of power to break out of the grip the girls had on him. As he powered out, the sisters went flying off of him in various directions.

"Stay down if you know what's good for you, little girls!" Viribus simply responded as he resumed his pursuit.

At that moment, he saw Lincoln had just ran upstairs while he was preoccupied with the girls.

"Poor choice of actions, kid. Now you have no escape!" Viribus said to himself as he approached the staircase.

"We're not through with you yet!" Luan told Viribus, as she, Luna, and Lana were all holding the table.

The three girls then charged at Viribus with the table as he casually and calmed stood in place. As the girls reached him, he raised his leg and performed a push kick on the table, knocking it back into the 3 girls and knocking them over.

Lana and Lola then ran for his legs, and each bit him in the leg…

"Argh! You little…!" Viribus cried.

Viribus then picked both 6 year olds off him and held them in each hand. He then threw each of them towards the other sisters like they were human bullets.

Lynn Sr and Rita then entered the room after hearing all the commotion from the next room, and let out an audible "gasp" in horror of what they were seeing. Entering protective mode, the parents launched themselves at the intruder who was attacking their children…

"HANDS OFF OUR KIDS!" Rita shouted as she tackled Viribus.

"HOW DARE YOU COME INTO OUR HOUSE!" Lynn Sr furiously told him.

Viribus was quick to subdue them, however. Rita grabbed onto him from behind, but Viribus managed to use her momentum against her and execute a powerful hip toss to the ground. Lynn Sr then punched Viribus in the face as the Loud sisters, watching from the ground, cheered him on…

"Go dad!" Lana shouted.

Viribus then retaliated with a headbutt, two knees to the gut, a fury of quick punches, and a roundhouse to the head that made short work of the Loud father…

As all the sisters were picking themselves up off the ground, Viribus quickly reached into his pocket and pulled out a small pouch. He then violently threw it on the floor, causing it to explode in a large and thick puff of smoke that engulfed the entire downstairs area.

"Where did he go?! *cough*" Lori cried.

"I can't see a thing in here!" Lola yelled as she tried to swat away the smoke, but to no avail.

* * *

But as the family were trying to recover from the blows they took and regain a sense of visibility in a smoke-filled room, Viribus had already walked upstairs in pursuit of the boy. His obvious first effort was to check Lincoln's own room…

He couldn't see anyone there upon first glance. He checked all obvious hiding places, such a under the bed, but nothing.

"Where are you, boy? I came all this way to play with you!" Viribus teased, hoping Lincoln was listening.

Viribus then began to listen for very faint noises as he lastly went into Lynn and Lucy's room. He could hear breathing, ever so slightly, so he decided to walk in further for a closer look.

"I know you're in here, Loud! Why don't you just make it easier on yourself and hand yourself over to me?" Viribus requested.

He then noticed Lucy's coffin was shut, and thought to himself that Lincoln was in there. As he listened out for noise again, he realised that's where the breathing was coming from. He then approached the coffin…

"Don't go in there just yet, child. I want to make you suffer before I end your life." Viribus joked, before he opened the coffin.

But to his surprise, he saw no one in there…

…that's because Lincoln was holding on for dear life to the lid of the coffin that Viribus had just lifted, hoping he wouldn't get noticed.

But Viribus was too observant for that trick to work…

"Nice try." Viribus said as he turned to face Lincoln.

Out of instinct, Lincoln quickly kicked Viribus in the face before running for his life. Unfortunately, his chaser was far faster and fitter than him. Even though he had put on a lot of muscular weight, Viribus still retained a solid level of cardio fitness.

Lincoln ran back down the stairs and into the living room, where the smoke from the smoke bomb had finally cleared and the family had recovered from the assault.

Before Viribus could grab the boy, the rest of the family launched themselves at him.

"Stop him! He's about to get Lincoln!" Lana yelled as the sisters and parents began to dogpile on the fearsome attacker.

"Lincoln, get out of here!" Lori yelled, as she and the others continued to struggle against the titan.

Lincoln looked over at the struggle for a second, not wishing to abandon his family and leave them at the mercy of the madman.

"Son, get out of here, now!" Lynn Sr pleaded with Lincoln.

Knowing he wouldn't be able to physically stop Viribus, Lincoln slowly retreated from the room while the family continued to hold Viribus back. Tears formed out of Lincoln's eyes as he saw his family fighting to protect him against an insurmountable foe, and while he wanted to stay and help fight back, he knew his efforts would be in vain. Lincoln made his way out of the front door and onto the streets…

"NO!" Viribus screamed as he noticed Lincoln escaping.

Lincoln began to make a quick getaway attempt, knowing he had only seconds before Viribus broke through his family. He was right to, as Viribus quickly managed to break free and overpower the Louds. He went straight after the boy…

As Viribus went in pursuit of Lincoln, he had already made his way across the street, and as far as he could tell, he was out of the chaser's reach…

But just as Lincoln was running away, he was grabbed by a large, burly figure in the shadows. That burly man stepped out of the shadows to reveal himself… it was Coach Henry.

Lincoln let out an audible "Gulp" as he knew he was screwed.

"It's going to be so satisfying what we do to you, runt, after all the trouble you've given me!" Henry teased towards the boy.

Lincoln tried to break free from his grip, but he had nowhere near the strength to escape Henry's clutches.

"Once again, you've done well, Fredericks." Viribus congratulated as he walked over.

"Nothing to it." Henry bragged to his master.

"I should have known! You were the one behind everything, weren't you?!" Lincoln spat.

"Yes, but we'll talk about it on the way back to our hideout. For now, let's make our escape!" Viribus said.

"I've got the van, let's go." Henry stated as the two entered the van after quickly dumping Lincoln in the back of it.

As the two quickly drove away with the boy in the back of their vehicle, the Loud family came out to witness the kidnapping of one of their own. They were too late to stop it. All of them looked on in sadness and despair as they saw their brother and son being escorted to his demise by the most fearsome adversary they had ever known.

"OH GOD!" Lynn Sr blurted with despair.

"Linky." Leni sadly cried.

"Quick, get in Vanzilla!" Lynn Sr said.

But as the family quickly approached the van so they could follow Viribus and Henry, they saw that the tyres were all flat.

"Gosh darn it! The tyres!" Lynn Sr cried.

"Argh! That dumb coach, he must have popped them!" Lola deduced.

"They're getting away!" Luna shouted.

"We can't follow them!" Lori said.

All of the sisters looked down in hopelessness as they realised their loved one was heading to his doom, and there was nothing they could do about it. The van was out of sight, and they couldn't find out where it was.

"Okay, Lisa. Now would be a really great time for you to tell us you put some kind of tracker on all of us, including Lincoln, and that you can use it to find out where he's being taken." Lori remarked.

"Sorry, sibling. I've been told I need to improve my social behaviour by not doing stuff like that." Lisa replied.

"Great!" Lola responded.

"But what about all the security stuff you have in this house?! Where were they when that jerk Viribus walked in?" Lana asked.

"Again, I've been informed those measures were highly inappropriate due to breaching privacy and being disproportionately dangerous." Lisa justified as she looked up at her parents, who were the ones who told her to stop.

"But what about all of Luan's pranks?" asked Leni.

"Yeah, we really could have done with those getting Viribus, home alone style." Luna said.

"It's not April. Sorry." Luan apologised, regretful that she couldn't have had something in place to stop Viribus from barging in.

"I doubt they would have worked on him anyway!" Lori claimed.

"Look, it doesn't matter! We'll find Lincoln, and we'll save him! I promise!" Lynn Sr reassured his kids firmly, though he really had no idea how that could be done.

"That's right. I mean, Lincoln managed to escape him last time." Rita added.

"Yeah, but this time, that wacko dude is out for revenge against our bro." Luna reminded them as the entire family grew a collective worried expression on their faces.

* * *

Lincoln was stuck in the back of the van, with no way of escaping. He went towards the small window that was there between the 2 front seats and the back area of the van. He decided to find out a few things from his enemy…

"So, now that the cats out of the bag, you might as well tell me everything! Why did you set Lynn up to go to jail!?" Lincoln demanded to know.

"Simple. You!" Viribus replied.

"What? You got Lynn sent to juvie just so you could get even with me?!" Lincoln angrily asked.

"Yep, pretty much." Viribus confirmed.

"How low can you get?!" Lincoln spitefully questioned.

"Do you want me to go back there and shut him up, sir?" Henry asked his master.

"Oh, and as for you, why are you helping him!? What has this monster promised you in return, Henry?" Lincoln asked the coach.

"A place at the table." Henry stated.

"What does that mean?!" Lincoln questioned.

"It's simple, boy. Henry will become one of my new followers and together, we shall take anything we want, and do anything we please, and no one will be able to stop us!" Viribus explained.

"That's right. It'll be sweet." Henry said.

"When you and your family thwarted my plans and got me locked up for life, Henry was my cellmate. He was in sentenced to a few months for a minor offence." Viribus told Lincoln.

"Yeah! All I did was take a pack of cigarettes from a local convenience store and knock out the guy who tried to stop me, and I got 6 months jail time for it!" Henry said.

"Wow, a smoker and a big eater by the looks of you. And somehow, you were qualified to be a sports coach." Lincoln mocked.

"Many people with bad health habits can still be coaches, kid! Not that an unathletic runt like you would understand anything about it! Besides, I'm not fat, I'm big boned and full of muscle! About 90% of my body mass." Henry replied.

Lincoln scoffed in response to that sentence.

"In the cell together, we discussed many things. Mainly, we arranged a deal amongst ourselves; he would help me get revenge on you, and I would give him a position of power and privilege that he could exploit to his advantage." Viribus explained.

"Once I got out of jail, the plan was for me to become the coach of one of Lynn Loud's sport teams, and then manipulate her into doing bad things, like taking screwy sports supplements, so that she'd land herself in juvie!" Henry stated.

"It was easy. Your sister is so unstable, she was the easiest target for me to pick on." Viribus bragged.

"Punishing my sister to get back at me? You're a real piece of work!" Lincoln spat with venom.

"But… I think it was best that she went to juvie. Inside, she met me, and we got talking. You know, we have a lot in common. More than I thought I had with you! Nobody understands your sister more than I do!" Viribus gloated.

"Hmpf. Lynn is nothing like you! She's rough, but she's a good person!" Lincoln bit back.

"Really? Tell me, Lincoln Loud. Who the person is that I'm discussing… this person is a being who was wronged by society. They were mistreated and taken advantage of by all the scumbags that surrounded them. They tried to be nice and friendly and just be accepted for who they were, but the world was just too cruel. So they adapted, they evolved. They became tougher, stronger, better than everybody else! The ultimate winner! The supreme being among all the worthless losers among them! They also tried to teach you how to be a man who could stand up for yourself and one that needed to be tough and aggressive so that people wouldn't take advantage of you! Not that those lessons ever stuck with you! This person paid for being nice, so they became ruthless in order to thrive in such a hostile world." Viribus said.

Lincoln then developed a confused look on his face…

"Now tell me. Who did I just describe? Myself, or your sister Lynn?" Viribus asked.

Lincoln couldn't answer. The parallels were jarring. Indeed, while he hated to admit it, it was obvious Lynn shared some strikingly huge similarities to his arch nemesis…

…but he didn't want to admit defeat in the conversation.

"I don't care what similarities you THINK you have with Lynn! The difference is, she doesn't take it too far! She still cares about other people! She's not a monster like you! She's…" he carried on as he ranted towards the man he hated…

"Okay, Fredericks. Shut him up!" Viribus ordered as Lincoln's ranting could still be heard in the background.

"Gladly." Henry responded as he revealed he had so chloroform in his hand.

Henry then opened the window to the back part of the van, and with the chloroform, soaked into a rag, knocked Lincoln out by shoving the rag into his face.

"Sleep now, Lincoln. They'll be more time for words, later." were the last words Lincoln could hear from Viribus as he passed out on the ground.

* * *

 _Well, Lincoln's in quite the situation, isn't he? After almost escaping, he winds up in a van, captured by Viribus and the coach anyway. But time will tell what they have in store for the white-haired Loud brother._

 _This was a bit of a different chapter from what has preceded it. This is obviously a Lynn story, but this chapter specifically concentrates on the other characters (meaning Lincoln and the Louds, Viribus and Henry). The next chapters will now be about bringing everything together as everything becomes clear to the Louds. Plus, how will Viribus keep Lynn on his side if he's captured Lincoln? All will be revealed, soon enough._

 _As always, feedback is greatly appreciated, and support is valued. The next chapter is due soon enough, but the exact time it will take between each new chapter to be uploaded is a little uncertain at this point. I don't want to promise weekly uploads and then not stick to that. Let's just say, new updates will come about when they do._


	17. Developments

**Chapter 17: Developments**

 _Finally, JustSomeOrdinaryDude has come back to the realm of Loud House FanFiction. Well, that was an unexpected two-month hiatus for my story, but hey, other things in life come first. Sometimes, you just have to prioritise certain matters. Hopefully, I can now regain some kind of regular pace of progression for the future chapters of this story. Fortunately, there's less than halfway left to go._

 _Anyway, it's about time to give you chapter 17 at long last, especially since the previous chapter left things very open and ready for continuation, with Lincoln having been kidnapped by the villains and so on._

* * *

Lincoln awoken in a dark and desolate room. He couldn't see any of his surroundings. All he could see was a light shining above him, and a large pole which his body was tied up around. He couldn't move his arms or his legs. He was practically immobile. He wasn't blindfolded or gagged, but he knew Viribus, and knew that it was probably because his adversary wanted to share a few words…

Soon enough, Viribus entered the room, no longer in his prison attire. He had changed into some casual clothes, including a dark black hoodie and some dark grey tracksuits. He had a smug and sinister grin on his face as he saw the young boy tied up and completely helpless.

"Comfortable?" Viribus asked the waking boy.

"Not really." Lincoln answered.

"Good." Viribus responded.

"You've got a lot bigger since we last saw you." Lincoln commented.

"Of course. Being in prison limited the amount of recreational activitie, so yes, I spent a LOT of time working out. Of course, it came in handy when I invaded your house. Now, thanks to my might, you're at my mercy." Viribus bragged.

"Well, why haven't you just got it over with yet?!" Lincoln questioned bitterly.

"What? And ruin my fun? Don't get me wrong, Loud. I will eventually exterminate you, but I don't intend to rush it." Viribus responded.

"Why not? Aren't you worried that I'll escape and stop you again?!" Lincoln asked angrily.

"Not really. Your capture isn't an essential part of my grand plan, it's merely for personal satisfaction." Viribus stated.

"Really? You're quite confident for someone had their rear end handed to them last time!" Lincoln rubbed in.

"You're right, I am confident. You are no longer a threat to me. There is nothing you can do to stop me now." Viribus claimed.

"There's still something you never told me, why are you interested in brainwashing Lynn?! Obviously, you set Lynn up and used Henry Fredericks to get her locked away in juvie! You clearly got her sent to prison as a way to get revenge on us, especially me! So tell me, why haven't you just finished the job?!" Lincoln wanted to know, as it seemed strange Viribus wouldn't take the chance to exact vengeance upon one of his family.

"I have no intention to harm your sister, Loud. As I told you, I've taken a liking to her. She's everything you're not. She is… necessary." Viribus told the boy.

"What are you talking about!?" Lincoln asked.

"I thought you were the perfect apprentice, that you were someone who saw things my way and could follow in my footsteps. But… sadly, you proved you were not worthy of such a position. You lacked the will to do what was necessary to reform society and establish your position of dominance." Viribus said.

"Still as crazy as ever, I see!" Lincoln bitterly snarked at his captor.

"Call me mad all you want, but unlike you, your sister was able to see it my way. To be honest, I'm glad I did all of this. Had I never decided to exact revenge against you by getting your jock of a sister locked up in prison with me, I never would have managed to gain a new follower in her. She is compatible. She is… like me." he said as he chuckled.

"What on earth does that mean?!" Lincoln replied.

Then, as Lincoln said that, the smug and gloating attitude of Viribus at that moment ceased, ever so briefly, and was exchanged for a respectful and envious tone…

"Contrary to what you may believe, I actually have a level of respect for you behind all the hatred, boy. In fact… I envy you. You are so wonderful, Lincoln Loud. You can stare in the face of adversity, and tough it out with nothing but thick skin and an ability to take in near endless amounts of harsh treatment. It is actually quite commendable." Viribus admitted to his foe.

"That's right! You call me weak, but you're the one who can't handle it when people are against you, when people don't show you respect! I may not be a fearsome brute or a vicious genius like you, but I have a strength that you only wish you had! So does Lynn! So does the rest of my family!" Lincoln told him.

"We both know that's not quite true, don't we?" Viribus asked as he quickly shifted back to a more smug and sinister tone.

"What are you saying?!" asked the angry young boy.

"Lynn Loud may act tough on the outside, but unlike you, the method of simply rolling over and taking every ounce of abuse she was given from others, was insufficient. She, like myself, required a more drastic set of measures to ensure satsifaction." Viribus stated.

Lincoln wanted to argue back, to defend his sister, but he knew deep down that Viribus had a point.

"As stated, your sister and I are the same. We both suffered at the hands of this world, and we did what was necessary to make sure we were safe from further hostility. She agrees with me, which is why she has now joined me!" Viribus continued.

"I still don't believe you! Lynn would never join you! After all, you were the one who once held her arms behind her back and demanded that I give her a beating! Why would she ever want to be with you and Henry?!" Lincoln demanded to know.

"Because we've bonded. Let's face it, she was never really satisfied with you idiots as her family, was she? Especially you, such a disappointingly weak brother. It's no wonder she used to beat and annoy you. You practically beg for it!" Viribus teased.

"That's not true! Lynn loves me as a brother!" Lincoln defended.

"Maybe she did, but you can't deny you lacked certain qualities she wanted and expected in a brother." Viribus stated.

"I'm starting to wish I never told you about the relationships I have with my sisters when we first met!" Lincoln spat.

"Whatever! It doesn't matter. You can deny it to yourself all you want, but remember, whether you like it or not, Lynn is just like me. Didn't so many things about her remind you of me?" Viribus asked.

"Nope!" Lincoln dismissively said.

"Meanwhile, in the real world…" Viribus replied.

As Viribus continued to push him, Lincoln began to think really hard about everything he was being told. His fears transformed into horror as he began to realise… Viribus was right. Lynn was disturbingly similar to Viribus in many ways.

He remembered the day Lynn toured him through middle school. She instructed him and Clyde to act tougher and to make sure they used whatever aggressive measures were necessary to prevent other kids from picking on them… like they did her.

He then thought back to his initial encounter with Viribus and his former disciples. They did essentially the same thing, albeit to a much larger degree. Viribus taught Lincoln that he needed to be proactive in being in a fearsome entity, so as to prevent others from victimising him… like they did to Viribus himself.

Both were victims who turned to the option of making themselves violent, fearsome individuals, so as to avoid any further hostility from the outside world. While he hated to admit it, he realised that on some level, Lynn was just like Viribus.

"Jake, please. Let Lynn go. Don't twist her brain like you did with me. Lynn's trying her best to become a better person." Lincoln pleaded with Viribus, knowing he had a firm grasp over Lynn's mind.

"I'm doing exactly that." he replied.

"No… you're breaking her. Pulling her further into that twisted, messed up world view that you have!" Lincoln argued.

"You would say that, weakling! For all your strengths, your greatest weakness is that you are too accepting of the rancid status quo, and are unwilling to do what is required to resolve society's greatest problems!" Viribus bit back.

"Just let my sister go!" Lincoln demanded.

"Or else what?! You're trapped here, your family have no clue where you are! You are now an instrument of my will, and nothing more! I will return to finish you off, but first, I have work to do!" Viribus said as he began to exit the room.

"What work!? Some other plan that's doomed to fail?!" Lincoln asked.

"No, not this time. Especially with you out of the way. Soon, this whole town will be buried in ashes!" he responded.

"Please, just let me her go! What do you need her for, anyway?!" Lincoln pleaded.

"She will be valuable to me going forward. I'm done with reformation schemes! I tried to help society, but it threw my efforts back in my face! Now I only wish to embrace the chaos and carnage that this society has created for itself. I will bring destruction to this world, since that what it seems so fixated on giving itself anyway. And your sister is perfect for that. She has destructive capacity. She sees things my way. Soon enough, Primis and I will stand over a raging inferno, burning across the world, and smile in satisfaction!" he sadistically revealed.

"PRIMIS?!" Lincoln responded angrily, outraged that Viribus would even go as far as to rename his sister.

"Yes, that is her new name of superiority. Now it's time I got going, this world isn't going to destroy itself. Actually, it is, but not fast enough! I need to go and speed it up. Don't worry, I'll come back for you! For now, I'll let you enjoy being alone in the dark!" Viribus told the trapped child as he began to walk out of the room.

"My family will stop you!" Lincoln insisted.

"I don't think so! They were unable to follow us here, thanks to my ally, Fredericks. The police won't be able to help, either. Criminals are running loose all over Royal Woods. The local authorities have their hands full with them! To put it simply, I WIN!" Viribus gloated from the doorway.

He switched the lights off on his way out, leaving the scared boy in total silence…

* * *

While Lincoln was left alone, trapped and unable to move, Lynn was enjoying her first sniff of freedom in many days. She had to keep her wits about her, though, since she was roaming an area that was riddled with criminals and dangerous characters, all of whom were from the same place she was.

Lynn wandered the streets as she saw chaos and carnage inflicted all around her. There were countless stores being robbed, others set on fire. There were savage fights and beatings taking place everywhere, and many crooks were running away with bags of money or valuable items in their hands. Car chases and gun shots were present in addition to all the aforementioned, and altogether they created a very deadly and hostile environment.

Lynn then looked over as she saw a trio of thugs breaking into a convenience store…

"Hey Joe, let's break in there!" one of the criminals said.

"Why would we want to break in there, Dean? It's just a cheap place, nothing valuable to take!" the other criminal replied.

"Let's just do it! We can always go to another store if this one doesn't have enough money!" the third criminal decided.

"Alright, Seth! Get ready to rush in and get your mits on anything you can find!" Joe said.

Joe then picked up a loose brick nearby and threw it at the shop window, breaking the glass and giving them an entrance point.

"Grab anything you can!" Seth shouted as the three went inside.

Lynn then looked on as she saw the store owner hiding under the counter, hoping the thugs wouldn't find him under there. Lynn saw his fear and became filled with guilt, as she realised she inadvertently caused what she was watching happen.

Lynn then looked in another direction as she saw four escaped convicts beating up a helpless senior citizen, as one stole his wallet. She could hear some police sirens from the distance, but she knew that no matter how many cops were sent out to deal with the outbreak of criminals, a lot of damage was going to be done before the prisoners were all captured and sent back to jail.

But Lynn's moment of reflection was cut short as she was approached by two familiar figures…

"So, you're back out, huh?" Henry asked as he, along with Viribus, walked up to Lynn.

"No thanks to you!" Lynn said, still resenting Henry because of the drugs and trial incident.

"Primis, remember, Fredericks only did what he did to serve a greater purpose. If he did not get you locked up, this alliance never would have happened." Viribus reminded her.

"Yeah, I guess you're right." Lynn agreed.

"For what it's worth, you were an excellent student on my team, and I bet you'll be a great apprentice to master Viribus." Henry praised.

"She will be, because I'm going to mould her into the perfect soldier of justice." Viribus stated.

"Solider of justice?" Lynn questioned.

"Yes. For too long the world has taken advantage of us, stepped all over us for their own benefit. Now, we take back what the world owes us. Even if we have to do it the hard way." Viribus told the young girl.

"Yeah, and with that delivery I've got back at the house, we have all the tools we need to do that!" Henry bragged.

"How much?" Viribus asked.

"A whole truck load, sir." Henry replied.

"A truck load of what?" asked a confused Lynn.

"We'll tell you, soon enough. But for now, we have plans for you. Let's make our way back to the hideout, where we'll give you a few necessary upgrades." Viribus ordered.

"Upgrades?" asked Lynn.

"Yes. A few tweaks will be essential, if you are to follow in my footsteps." Viribus hinted.

Viribus and Henry then began to move along with Lynn walking behind them. The two briefly whispered to one another so that Lynn would not overhear their discussion…

"Sir, is Lynn Loud really your best option? I mean, she's a little bit of an idiot." Henry asked his master.

"Yes, she is. She's not the idiot you think, and she has the potential to be a valuable asset to our plans." Viribus stated.

"I take it we won't tell her about how we have her brother locked up in our hideout?" Henry asked.

"No, not at this stage. We must make no indication that we intend to harm any of her loved ones. It is too soon for us to risk her loyalty being compromised. She will learn of her brother's imprisonment only when the time is right." Viribus explained.

"I understand, sir." Henry conformed.

Viribus and Henry then smirked to themselves, as their plan was working perfectly, and Lynn was under their influence and had no idea exactly what they were planning, and they wanted to keep it that way until her loyalty was guaranteed.

* * *

 _And that's another chapter finally done. Hopefully, it was worth the wait. Anyway, now that I'm back on the project, I aim to start uploading new chapters on a fairly regular basis again. This should now be feasible, especially considering I have most of the remaining chapters written in draft form._

 _If you ever feel the need for updates on what I'm doing (or not doing), then everyone is welcome to regularly check out my DeviantArt page for any new content or notifications. But as far as I can tell, I should be able to get another chapter uploaded next week, and then continue in that manner unless something exceptional occurs. Yep, it's about I time I fully resumed this project._


	18. A Choice

**Chapter 18: A Choice**

 _After 2 weeks (the delay being caused due to a problem with my internet connection last weekend), here we go with another chapter. We're now progressing towards the end, though there's still a fair way to go yet._

 _Enjoy._

* * *

The Loud family were in a state of complete shock and defeat after what had transpired. Their son and brother had been snatched from under them and was taken to an unknown location. After losing Lynn already, losing Lincoln was a detrimental blow to the family's unity and stability.

"I can't believe it. They took Lincoln!" Luan cried.

"We have to go get him back!" Lana said.

"How? The van is totalled. We're literally stuck without transport!" Lori argued.

"Maybe, but our Lincoln has still been taken away and is probably being tortured right now as we speak, and we can't just stand around and do nothing about it!" Lynn Sr declared.

"But what are we going to do?" asked an upset Leni.

"We're going to find your brother, even if we have to search every square inch of Royal Woods by foot!" Rita claimed.

"But what if he's not even in Royal Woods? That nutjob could have taken him anywhere!" Luna argued.

"I disagree. It is logical to conclude that Jake Kelly would have taken our sibling to a local area, as Royal Woods has always been a target of his. He would likely want to enact his strategy here for vengeful purposes." Lisa deduced.

"Well, we're literally not getting anywhere standing around. Let's get searching for Lincoln." Lori said.

"Yeah, and I have an idea where we should start!" Lola stated, believing to know where he had been taken.

Sure enough, the rest of the family follow her idea, and go to Requital Avenue. The street where the original hideout of Jake Kelly and his former disciples was located. However, contrary to Lola's belief, there was no longer a building there…

"Dude, what gives?! You said you knew where our bro would be! All I see is a load of rubble." Luna moaned.

"Well, I only said I had an idea of where he was, I didn't say I know. I just figured that Jake guy would have taken him back to his old HQ. How was I supposed to know it was knocked down?" Lola defended.

"Never mind. At least we're down one location in our search." Rita stated.

"My suggestion would be to walk around the streets of the central area of the town. I theorise our sibling and our enemy are somewhere in the populated heart of Royal Woods." Lisa said.

"How can you be so sure?" asked Luan.

"I know how his mind works. He's a fellow genius, and if I admit to my own failings, also a little unstable in his mental faculties. It was this area where his last scheme was executed, and thwarted. His desires for revenge make this recurrence inevitable." Lisa concluded.

"I hope you're right, Lisa. Because I don't think Lincoln can wait very long for us to find him." Leni fearfully stated.

* * *

Back in the inner town, during the dark and early hours of the morning, the place continued to pose a threat to the average civilian roaming around, as many prisoners were still on the loose and causing trouble. Some people, however, had jobs to do, and one of them was the local prison counsellor, Doctor Ramirez.

She was in the midst of lecturing one of her former patients and an escaped convict, Joey the Crippler.

"Look, Joesph." she said, trying to appeal to his redeeming side.

"Joey!" he aggressively corrected.

"Just go back to the institution. Turn yourself in! They'll go easier on you. You're never going to escape from them for good!" she tried to tell him.

"Ha! Says you! This was a gift from god, silly gal! I'm not wasting it! Now get outta my face!" he told her.

"Joey, I'm trying to help you." She assured him.

"I don't need your help! And I don't need to listen to you, either! We're not in jail, anymore!" he insisted.

"Fine. We'll see how long that lasts!" Ramirez bit back, her patience having reached its ends.

Ramirez then retreated from the confrontation, knowing she wasn't going to talk sense into the escaped prisoner, and he had sealed his own fate. However, he was just one of many prisoners and patients of hers that she had spoken to, developed a connection with, and felt the need to try and help.

She was passionate about the role she played as a counsellor and as a soul of influence to her patients. She felt the need to provide her clients with valuable guidance, even when they were at their most dangerous. Even though they had all escaped and were running wild, she believed her best move would be to approach them with some wise words and sensible thought.

Some time later while cautiously wondering the town centre, she could see a petite, child-like figure in the distance…

"Lynn Loud?" Ramirez asked herself.

She saw a girl who vaguely resembled the sporty Loud child she previously met, but that was all. She still looked radically different.

* * *

Earlier that night, Lynn was receiving the upgrades that her new master had promised her…

Viribus intended physical alterations upon his new apprentice, not just psychological ones. He and Henry were hard at work moulding the young, gullible child into his image of a perfect follower.

Lynn Loud, now with the alias of Primis, was a transformed girl. Gone was the sports attire that reflected her life passion, and replaced by a plain black shirt, complete with metallic armour pads above it. Her red shorts were also replaced with dark combat pants. Even the ponytail was removed, and replaced with a short buzzcut. She was also armed with metallic gloves on her hands.

"Is this really necessary?" Lynn questioned, not liking how Viribus enforced changes on her appearance, given how much she liked the way she was.

"Yes, Primis. Your previous attire reflected your passion for sports, fiery energy, and roughness, but it also created some weaknesses." Viribus justified.

"Weaknesses? Like what?!" Lynn asked.

"Like your ponytail being a prime target in combat for dirty combatants, who will grab it, yank it and use it to overcome you." Viribus explained.

"Oh." Lynn replied in realisation.

"Also, while I appreciate you've been a fanatic of sports as a means to satisfy your thrill for competition, I must be honest. Sport is no longer a necessity in your life." He stated.

"WHAT?!" Lynn angrily questioned.

"Yes. Primis, ask yourself this? Why do you play sports?" Viribus asked.

"Because I love sports!" Lynn responded.

"But why? Sports are forms of competition, challenges from one to another, about proving superiority in a certain area of skill or dedication. An arrangement where people prove their worth to everyone." Viribus said.

"Well, duh. That's why I like sports. They're fun, and they let me show my stuff." Lynn told him.

"And let's think, she has a history of being bullied, ridiculed, and looked down on by her peers." Henry interjected.

"Yes. Is it not possible that little miss sporty over here is only interested in sports because of her competitiveness and her need to feel like she's worth something to those judgemental dorks out there?" Viribus suggested.

"Uh, NO! I've been interested in sports way longer than I can remember being treated badly in middle school." Lynn corrected.

"Maybe, but you can't deny that your passion for sports and your urge to win at them has only grown with time, and that's because you need sports to feed your urge to win at everything, to prove to everyone that you're great… so that you don't feel worthless." Viribus said.

Lynn then looked down, knowing that once again, her master was right.

Sensing another opportunity to develop a closer bond with his new ally, Viribus capitalised on a moment of emotional vulnerability…

"Let me tell you something, Primis. People may berate you for your competitive tendencies and your need to win at great costs, but they just don't get it. Your friends, your family… they don't understand you. Not in the same way I understand you." He told her.

At that exact point, Lynn's head raised as she began to look up towards her friend…

"The reason why I've made all these changes to your appearance, is because I no longer want you to waste your time with sports. Because yes, you are right to want to prove your dominance and supremacy over those weak minded, inferior fools, but doing it through sports is ineffective and pointless! If you want to truly achieve domination in this world, you have to take it many steps further. Look at me, I don't waste my time playing pathetic little ball games! From now on, you demonstrate your dominance the only way that proves effective! You roam the streets of society, with aggressive and hostile intent. You attack and defeat everyone who stands in your way! You make it clear to all those jerks out there that you are not someone to be messed with, but someone to be feared and respected!" Viribus instructed her.

"I understand!" Lynn said.

"Good. Then you are ready, to take to the streets with your new look, and your new state of mind." Viribus stated.

And with that, Lynn left the presence of her new allies and went out to make a name for herself…

"Get out there, Lynn Loud Junior. Help yourself, and do what I should have done many years ago!" Viribus said to himself.

* * *

"Lynn Loud!" a caring, concerned voice called out towards the Loud girl.

"Oh, it's you!" the hostile girl replied, looking up at her counsellor.

"I see my words have NOT been taken in." Ramirez commented.

"Buzz off! I don't have time to talk!" Lynn toughly said.

"Listen to me. When we spoke, I got to know you, and I know you are better than this." the counsellor said.

"Pfft. This is the best I've ever been! Lord Viribus is showing me the way to success in life." Lynn explained.

"If you believe that, then maybe you're slower than you think you are." Ramirez argued.

"Watch it!" Lynn firmly told her.

"Look. Jake Kelly, or as you know him, Lord Viribus, is not someone you want to take inspiration from. He's a damaged, messed up little boy with a classic case of inferiority-superiority complex, and a depressed loner who's taking out his anger on the world." Ramirez stated.

Lynn processed what the counsellor just told her, as the words hit close to home, given her own similar past…

"I had many therapy sessions with him, and I tried my best to help him change his ways, but he fought me every step of the way. He insisted he was going to hurt and dominate everyone as a method of helping them. He gave me a load about achieving justice and cleansing the earth of scum." Ramirez said.

"Good. Someone has to!" Lynn bitterly responded.

"When we first spoke, he seemed defeated, lost, confused. Like all of his ambitions, hopes and dreams had been dashed. Understandable, since that was after he was arrested because of the whole school fiasco." Ramirez said.

"Yeah, I know. I was there. I was on the wrong side, too." Lynn answered back.

"But as time went on, I saw something else. He grew more cynical, more eager for revenge. He demonstrated less concern for reforming society and more for hurting people to satisfy his own self pleasure. I've only known Jake for a short period, and maybe he was once a sweet, kind little boy, but that person is gone. All that's left is a vengeful monster who will stop at nothing to hurt everyone around him!" Ramirez concluded.

"Pfft. You don't know what you're talking about!" Lynn snarked.

"Lynn Loud, you have a choice! Stay with him, and you'll end up just like him! Or, get away from him, run far away, and save yourself and the ones you care about from getting hurt! It's your decision." Ramirez warned her.

Lynn then began to develop an uneasy and unsure facial expression. She briefly started to feel a sense of regret and self-disappointment inside herself. She thought that maybe the counsellor was right, and that she would be stronger and better if she were to turn against Viribus and turn herself into the police. But just as it appeared she may have been reconsidering everything, Lynn turned back around and looked up, before responding…

"I've already made my choice. I'm going to be the ultimate winner! Lord Viribus will help me be that!" she boldly declared, without any sense of doubt whatsoever.

Ramirez then developed a saddened and disappointed expression on her face. She had hoped Lynn would listen to her warnings and stray away from the madman she was aligned with, but that was not the outcome that her efforts drawn. Sensing a lost cause, Ramirez parted ways with another escaped prisoner she had failed to talk sense to…

"I'm sorry I couldn't help you, Lynn Loud. Hopefully, the better side of you will." were the final words of the counsellor before she turned away.

But before she could walk off, she turned around and saw another one of her old patients. It was none other than Viribus himself, who was quick to say hello by grabbing her by the throat and forcing her off balance. He then proceeded to speak…

"Ah, Doctor Ramirez. What a pleasure it is to see you again." Viribus tauntingly said.

"The feeling… isn't mutual." Ramirez muttered out, struggling to find the breath to talk given the hold the madman had on her neck.

"Since I never said this back when we were inside that decrepit old building, I just want to take the opportunity to tell you. I always hated your sessions, and all those months of listening to you drone on about redemption and changing the way you think were just so insufferable, they made me want to puke! I'm not the one who needs to reform, it's everyone else who is wrong!" he told her, before shoving her to the floor.

Fearful of what he would do to her, she quickly stood back up and ran away. Her efforts, though admirable, were futile. Lynn was under the influence of her new ally, and no words from her counsellor were going to change that. Ramirez could only hope that Lynn would see sense in the end.

"I trust you didn't take any notice of what she was telling you?" Viribus questioned his follower.

"No way! I'm with you! I'm going to be a winner!" Lynn confirmed.

"Excellent. I knew you had too much sense to fall for her lies." Viribus congratulated.

Viribus then walked with Lynn back to their new hideout, where they could continue plotting their next move. It seemed Lynn's decision to stick with Viribus was a strong one, and one Viribus wanted to make sure was not undone. He had plans for her, and plans for the entirety of Royal Woods.

* * *

 _And that's it for this chapter. Hopefully, I'll have another up next week, though take that claim with a grain of salt since it's possible something will cause another delay and I have no official uploading schedule. It will be done when it's done is probably the most truthful thing to say here._

 _Still, I'll do my best to make it worth the wait. Thanks to everyone who has stuck with the story so far._


	19. The Shocking Truth

**Chapter 19: The Shocking Truth**

 _We're finally starting to get towards the end. There's still a fair few chapters yet to go, don't get me wrong, but we're finally approaching the climatic point._

 _Here you go, enjoy._

* * *

The early hours of the morning were slowly approaching, and Lincoln was still held captive inside the dark room underneath the new hideout of his arch enemy. But, he was about to receive a visitor…

"I've been looking forward to this little talk, runt." said a sinister, yet familiar voice.

"Oh, it's YOU!" Lincoln spat with disgust.

"Yep. I'm here to gloat and rub our success in your stupid little face!" bragged the arrogant Coach Henry, who had just entered the room purely for the reason of rubbing it in.

"Look, I don't care what you and Jake do with me! But let Lynn go!" Lincoln demanded.

"But she wants to be with us. She made her choice." Henry replied.

"You mean you guys brainwashed her? Or forced her to do what you want?! I don't buy it!" Lincoln argued.

"You better believe it!" Henry said.

"Let her go, and leave her and the rest of my family alone and get lost!" Lincoln bravely commanded, despite his predicament.

"Stubborn little boy, aren't you?" Henry mocked as he wrapped a piece of fabric around the boy's mouth.

"Alright, runt. You're going to listen, because you've been a pain in my butt all this time! You're an obnoxious little brat! You learning to be more assertive from Lord Viribus only made you even more annoying! You're just a little runt, and that's all you and your worthless little family will ever be! Oh, and just to add salt in the wound, I think I'll share the details of your family's grim demise while you lay there and listen, helpless to do anything about it." Henry told him.

Lincoln could only stare back with an intensely livid expression. Pure hatred emitted from his eyes.

"Here's the deal. You and your friend were wondering what I had delivered in 3 palettes that afternoon that I had stored in that stupid house I rented out, and since you went to such lengths to find out, it's only fair you know. It's actually real simple. Viribus and I have plans to set the world on fire, but the world is a pretty big starting place, so we aimed for something smaller. Some place like… Royal Woods." Henry continued.

Lincoln tried to speak out of anger, but only uninterpretable mutters and muffles came out.

"For the last couple of days, while you've been busy pondering about why I got your sister put in jail, I've been doing something more productive. Viribus gave me a plan to execute after I got released, and I followed through with it. Those 3 pallettes each contained boxes of pure, concentrated trinitrotoluene. Very explosive stuff. I drove around town and planted the explosives in the ground! I dug up and buried them in secluded, private spots located to otherwise major buildings in the city. For example, the back alley across the block from the Mayor's office. I placed explosives all across town. Oh, and while I was trashing your family's van, I made sure one was left by the house, too. So, the Loud house is not safe, either. In addition to a criminal outbreak, detonations all across the town will leave Royal Woods in nothing but ruins. It will be devastated! Viribus wins!" Henry finished.

At that point, he then removed the fabric and allowed the boy to respond…

"I can see why two get along! You're both power hungry, mad idiots bent on revenge! That will never work, and even if it did, you guys will never get away with it!" Lincoln shouted.

"Yes, we will. Viribus already has some money stored away for me to take as soon as this job is done." Henry reassured him.

"Hmpf. How did you even manage to get all those boxes of explosives, anyway?!" asked a puzzled Lincoln.

"Easy, I've been in the criminal game a few years now, boy. I have contacts who can get their hands on such things, and people who can deliver them to me. That courier you saw drop the boxes off at my house was just one of many corrupted characters involved in the local crime circle. Once Viribus knew I had those connections, the deal was on." Henry explained.

"You still won't win!" Lincoln insisted.

"We already have, runt! We have a detonation device that we've almost finished setting up. By the time sunrise is over this morning, there will be nothing left but ruins of your town!" Henry said.

Henry then began to exit the room, leaving Lincoln in silence once more…

"You won't get away with this! My family beat Viribus before, and they'll do it again! You'll see!" Lincoln argued back.

Henry, satisfied and smug in victory, simply closed the door on the angered, trapped boy.

* * *

Meanwhile, the Loud family had entered the town centre, where the crime was most active. They sensed Viribus's new location was nearby, so for the sake of their lost relative, they had to risk the danger. Of course, in the process of figuring out what they were going to do upon finding their adversary, they decided on a workable plan of attack. They went in with that plan, and one that a certain comedic Loud was about to enact.

"Okay, you guys know what I'm capable of when I get my April Fools game on! I'm going to approach him!" Luan insisted.

"Luan? Are you sure about this?" asked her concerned mother.

"It's fine. Trust me, I can handle this!" the comedian insisted.

"Alright, listen. I have the upmost confidence that you have the smarts and the cunning to do this, so if you really feel you can stop him, then go for it! But the second that it looks like you're not in control of the situation, and that you're in danger, I won't hesitate to butt in and protect you! Your safety is important to me! I've lost two children already, I can't lose another!" Lynn Sr told his daughter.

"That literally goes for the rest of us!" Lori continued.

"YEAH!" the rest of the family followed.

"It's alright, dad. I got this." Luan smiled confidently with a hint of sinister intent in her expression.

Luan knew she had one chance to go through with her plan to stop Viribus, and she would have to act quickly…

After a few moments of looking around, Luan found who she was looking for. At the other end of the street, she could see Viribus… he was in the middle of dishing out a vicious beating on a passing stranger. Seemingly no relation of familiarity to one another, Viribus was just strolling across town, at a time when local law enforcement was too busy to step in and stop him, and attacking other people for his own pleasure.

After curb stomping the man's head into the solid ground, Viribus spat in his face, adding insult to injury.

"You worthless humans are so weak!" the madman gloated in victory.

Observing what she was up against, Luan knew she would have to make the first move, and do so with tactic. After waiting a moment for Viribus to calm down and slightly lower his guard, she went in.

"VIRIBUS!" Luan shouted.

"Luan Loud… why are you here?" asked a curious Viribus as he turned to face her.

"I'm here for one reason. I wish to join you… I wish to be on your side." Luan said.

"You are of no significance to me, child!" he condescendingly responded.

"It's true that you once took on Lincoln as one of your followers. Well, how about you give me a chance? I'm a cold-hearted prankster who loves destruction that masks her inner pain with a light-hearted comedy act. I'm also a social outcast who wants to hurt the world, one family at a time. Aren't I perfect for your group?" the young girl tried to convince him.

"It is true that you, too, are a girl with certain admirable qualities that would be fitting in my collective. It is unfortunate that your proposal is an obvious act to deceive and defeat me." Viribus responded.

"No, I'm serious! I want to join you!" Luan cried.

"You are a fool if you believe I will fall for that primitive little trick. Be gone!" he told her, making it clear he wasn't falling for it.

But for all his intelligence, there was one thing he didn't count on, as he stood there with his finger pointing at her to get lost.

Not only was she insincere, but also daring and sinister,

"Gotcha!" Luan yelled as she reached out and grabbed Viribus's hand while it was still stuck out, pointing at her.

Luan came prepared for the occasion, with a shock buzzer in her hand. She seized the opportunity and it paid off. Viribus was experiencing intense pain as Luan had turned up the voltage in her buzzer. Viribus was resilient and tough, and was able to remain standing for a moment. But even then, after about 15 seconds, he was finally brought to his knees, as he succumbed to the pain that the crafty comedian was dishing out.

"She's got him!" Lola said as the Loud family rushed over to the scene.

"Well done, Luan!" said Rita.

Realising the rest of the family were running over from the end of the street, Viribus, through sheer will power, managed to reach over to Luan and grab her by the head with his other hand. He yanked it towards him, causing her to lose balance. She fell towards him and loosened her grip, allowing him relief. Viribus quickly made sure he got a good hold of the Loud girl as he saw the other Louds running towards him.

"Stop where you are, all of you!" commanded Viribus to the Louds.

"Hey, let go of our sister, dude!" Luna yelled back.

"Take one more step and I'll leave this girl a head on a stick!" he threatened.

"I'm sorry, guys." Luan apologised whilst in the clutches of the enemy, having failed to defeat him.

"Sweetie, there's nothing to be sorry for." Lynn Sr reassured his daughter.

"Indeed. It takes more than a simple prank to dispose of me. Now, if you value your daughter and sister's welfare, you will all step back." Viribus said.

The Loud family slowly stepped backwards, so as to prevent the psychopath from harming their loved one…

"Now, here's the condition. I will allow you all to leave with your well-being intact, as long as you all allow me to escape and carry out my business." He suggested.

"And what about Lincoln and Lynn? Where are they?" asked Lori.

"Lincoln is in my possession, but I can release him and deliver him back to you." he promised.

"And Lynn?" asked Lucy.

"Lynn Loud no longer exists." Viribus responded.

The whole family gasped in horror…

"You MONSTER!" Luan shouted.

"Calm yourselves. I simply refer to her evolution. She is no longer Lynn Loud Junior. I have upgraded her, and elevated her to the status befitting of the title 'Primis'." Viribus explained.

"Primis?" asked Lana.

"Yes. She has chosen to be at my side. She is mine." He told them.

"No way! We don't believe you!" Leni replied.

"It doesn't matter what you think. All that matters is this moment. Do you accept my offer? Luan's safety for my getaway?" Viribus asked.

"Let her go, and we'll let you go." Lynn Sr reluctantly agreed.

The rest of the family was uneasy about that decision, but they did share the need to make sure their own relative was safe.

"Alright. I will take a few steps back so as to ensure you don't try to jump on me as soon as I let her go. In this weakened state, I may not be able to overpower you." Viribus explained as he walked away from the family with Luan in his grip.

After getting far enough away, he released the girl and then made a run for it.

After making his way to the end of the road, Viribus shouted back at the Louds one final warning…

"Get ready to say goodbye, Louds! Royal Woods won't be habitable for much longer!" he told them before getting away.

"What did he mean by that?" Lori asked.

"I don't know, dudes, but we gotta find where that nut job is hiding, and fast!" Luna replied.

"Let's follow him!" Lana said.

"No, he's too far away! That's why he walked to the end of the road with Luan, to get a head start!" Lola corrected.

"Siblings, parents, I think I have a plan." Lisa said, with a sinister smile.

The Louds had a few tricks up their sleeve, and weren't going to give in just like that…

* * *

…but neither was Viribus.

Viribus, shortly after the confrontation, returned to his hideout, and declared his intentions for the immediate future…

"Fredericks! Are the explosives ready and in place?" he asked.

"Yes, sir. Just a few minutes to setup and we're good to go." Henry responded.

"Good. Those moronic Louds are close on my trail. They're soon going to find this place and foil my plans, AGAIN! We have no time to lose. We set this town ablaze today!" Viribus decided.

He could see a very 'bright' future ahead for the town…

"What about the boy?!" he asked his sidekick.

"Lincoln Loud has been informed of everything. He's down there wallowing in mental pain as we speak!" Henry proudly declared.

"That won't be the only pain he feels!" Viribus said with rage.

He then placed his hand out as he wanted a weapon.

"Fredericks, taser, now!" he commanded.

Henry quickly gave his master the taser, who then proceeded to walk downstairs, with hostile intent. He was angered by the fact that the Loud family were on his case and were so close to beating him, he wanted to take out his frustrations on his prisoner.

He quickly walked over to the young Loud male, who was already emotionally broken and tired at that moment, and made his night even worse.

Viribus struck Lincoln with the taser, and made sure the attack hurt.

"Ask for absolution!" Viribus demanded.

Lincoln did not respond, so Viribus followed up with another blast. While Lincoln was letting out cries of pain, it wasn't enough to break his resilient spirit.

"I said ask for absolution!" he repeated.

Lincoln just looked at him with hateful eyes. He wasn't going to give him the satisfaction. The boy was resilient, and not the weak-willed wimp Viribus assumed he was. A fact that only made him all the more angry at that moment.

"No matter! You're battered, beaten, and broken inside! You're done! Your family is meddlesome as always, but they're too late! Royal Woods will be on fire before they can track me down! I'll leave you to your fate!" Viribus finished, having sent a message to his enemy.

Viribus threw the taser on the floor in a moment of rage, and left Henry and Lincoln in the basement downstairs as he retreated back up to finalise his plans.

* * *

 _Next chapter due in the weekend, or that's the plan, anyway._

 _That's all to say, really._


	20. True Friends and False Allies

**Chapter 20: True Friends and False Allies**

 _Here we go. Two chapters in one week. I'm finally regaining the momentum I had at the start of this project. It's time I started to make some progress and work towards wrapping things up. I never like my projects to go on too long. Still, there is a fair bit left to get through, so I guess I better knuckle down and gets things done._

 _Anyway, since the last chapter was focusing on the other characters, now it's time to see how LJ herself was doing when all of that was happening. Let's take a peak into what she was up to…_

* * *

During the confrontation between Viribus and the Loud family, Lynn was engaging in a confrontation of her own. During the early hours of morning darkness, Lynn Jr decided to get some fresh air, some of the first she had experienced in a while because of recent events, and roamed the streets of Royal Woods…

Soon, she came across an area of the town she was familiar with. She was on the street where her former baseball club. She didn't wish to walk into the place, however, not wanting to face the shame of taking supplements to better her abilities in games. She knew such a thing would be looked down on by her teammates, who would likely shun and berate her for her actions.

She walked along the fence surrounding the practice pitch, and recalled in her head some of the memories she had playing the game with all her friends in the past.

However, despite all her fears of seeing her old sports buddies again, there was one close friend she thought she could still show her face to…

 _*Knock knock*_

Margo Roberts answered the door, tired and weary, in her nightwear…

"Lynn, is that you?" Margo asked, rubbing her eyes to find out if she was hallucinating.

"Yeah, it's me." Lynn confirmed.

"Wha… what are you doing here?" she asked, still trying to fully awaken, as well as process what was happening.

"I just came to say hi." Lynn joked.

"What's with the new look? I mean, the short hair and the other stuff's a bit much, don't you think?" Margo suggested.

"Eh, I think it looks pretty cool." Lynn commented.

"Well, it's good to see you. I have missed having you around." Margo admitted.

"Right back at ya." Lynn replied, offering her fist.

Margo returned the offer and the two connected with a fist bump. After sharing a brief chuckle together, the conversation resumed.

"So, it's cool that you're here and everything, though you could have waited until sunrise, but how come you're able to be here?" Margo curiously asked.

"I'm out of juvie." Lynn told her.

"You mean you got let out early?" Margo asked.

"Not exactly…" Lynn awkwardly admitted.

"Lynn… you didn't!?" Margo angrily questioned.

"Well, no. I mean, I did escape prison, but…" Lynn began to justify, but was interrupted.

"Are you insane?! I know we call you Lynnsanity sometimes, but that doesn't mean you need to act like a crazy person!" Margo said.

"Look, it doesn't matter! I'm out! I thought you'd be happy to see me again." Lynn said.

"I am, but I'd be happier if you weren't an escaped prisoner coming to my front door!" Margo snarked.

"Margo, I just wanted to see you again. I haven't seen any of my friends or family since… what happened." Lynn uneasily recollected.

"Well, why don't you go and see your family?" Margo asked.

"I need to keep away from them for a while. They might not be safe." Lynn said.

"Oh, okay. But you didn't take my safety into consideration!?" Margo questioned.

"You're fine. He's not interested in you!" Lynn claimed.

"Who? What are you talking about, Lynn?!" Margo responded.

"I shouldn't talk about it." Lynn brushed off.

"Lynn, listen to me. I'm worried about you. If you get caught, you'll get sent back to juvie and get an even longer sentence. You need to turn yourself in! For your own sake." Margo instructed.

"Pfft. I don't think so. Besides, I have a big future ahead of me. With Lord Viribus!" Lynn said.

"Wait. Isn't Lord Viribus that guy you told me about that took over that school? And you're with him?!" Margo blurted out of confusion.

"Yeah, so what? He's not such a bad guy. He helped me escape from juvie. He's giving me so much!" Lynn said.

"Like what?" Margo asked.

"He's helping me become a winner!" Lynn insisted.

"But you already are a winner! Look at all the games you've won for us! For you!" Margo reminded her.

"Eh, I've wasted time playing sports. Sports are just a meaningless, small way of winning tiny little competitions. If I ever want to win the real competition of life, then I have to follow in his footsteps!" Lynn explained.

"Are you listening to yourself?! I bet he told you all that, didn't he!? Lynn, you have to stop this, now!" Margo tried to reason with her.

"I thought you would be happy to see me, but no. Not even my best friend. He was right. The world does hate me. That's why he's the only one I can listen to." Lynn said.

Lynn then started walking away, as Margo's pleas fell on deaf ears…

"Lynn, listen to me! You need to stop this and go back to juvie! Serve your sentence and then come back to us! I'll put in a good word and try and get all the sports teams in town to let you back in if that's what you're scared about!" Margo shouted to her retreating friend.

But her pleas were still to no avail, as Lynn continued to walk away…

Margo wanted to help her friend, and wasn't one to give in that easily. She went in pursuit of Lynn, running in front of her to stop her from getting away. She then grabbed Lynn by the shoulders as she attempted to talk sense into her one last time…

"Lynn! A lot of people may think of you as a mindless brute and a bit of a jerk, we both know that. But not everyone does! Some people know better. I know you better than that. Behind all your violence and competitive ways, you're not so bad! You're a good person. You're better than this, Lynn! You're strong and brave, and tough, and you mean well. Please, listen to me, and turn yourself in, for your own sake! We both know I'm right about this!" Margo told her friend.

Lynn then paused for a brief moment, as an expression of hope and relief grew on Margo's face as she thought perhaps her rash and impulsive best friend was finally listening to her…

…but the moment passed, and Lynn kept walking away after shoving her friend aside, choosing to ignore the advice of her former ally.

At that point, Margo realised there was only one way to appeal to Lynn's mentality and make her listen, and that was by appealing to her competitive drive.

"Alright, jerk! You wanna ignore me, fine! I challenge you!" Margo shouted.

Lynn then stopped in her tracks, as those words attracted her attention.

"Yeah, that's right! If you insist on ignoring me and tossing me aside like a piece of trash, then I guess I'm going to have to teach you a lesson the old-fashioned way!" Margo said, rolling up the sleeves of her nightwear.

Lynn then turned around and raised an eyebrow, curious as to what Margo was saying.

"You and me, Lynn! Let's settle this! We'll fight it out! If I win, you turn yourself into the police. If you win, you can walk free." Margo proposed.

"Ha! You're kidding, right? You like your chances against me?! Do you have any idea what you're getting yourself into?!" Lynn barked back.

"Looks like I finally got you talking again! Only a true friend of yours would do this. If I can help you stop being crazy, then it's worth the risk of a few cuts and bruises!" Margo explained.

Lynn thought about it for a moment, and she understood she was right. Only a true ally of hers, one that accepted and even embraced her for all her virtues and vices, including her competitive tendencies and aggressive impulses, would propose a fight as a means of helping out. Lynn admired that her friend would not only do that to help her, but also that she understood her well enough to know that such a thing would be what would get her to listen.

"You really are a good friend, Margo. You know me so well." Lynn said.

"So, are we doing this, or what?" Margo questioned.

Lynn snickered to herself before deciding against it. She may have been a violent criminal escapee, but she had no desire to harm her own best friend. She knew Margo was not serious about the challenge, either.

Lynn walked away, knowing Margo would not pursue any further, nor egg her on by calling her a coward. She knew the girl standing close by was the last person, outside of her own family, that she wanted to hurt.

Margo stood there for a moment before realising her effort was in vain. While previously she was usually able to serve as a morality pet to LJ whenever she went too far, this time it wasn't enough. Lynn had an idea in her head about what she was going to do moving forward, and no one, not even those closest to her, could do anything about that, or so it seemed.

Lynn said to herself, once she knew her friend was outside of earshot…

"I'm sorry, Margo. I wish I could make you understand why I'm doing this, but I feel that will just screw everything up." She sadly told herself, pretending her friend could hear her.

* * *

Soon after, Lynn returned to the hideout. She just wanted to lay her head down and put things to one side for a few hours after the eventful night she had been put through. However, her new allies had other plans…

Back at the hideout, Viribus had just ascended from the basement after dishing out some punishment on his prisoner with the taser he and Henry had.

"Little worm!" Viribus shouted to himself, regarding the resilient Lincoln Loud.

Lynn then walked in quietly, not wanting to draw attention to herself.

"Ah, Primis, just the person I wanted to see. We're going to take action today." Viribus enthusiastically stated.

Lynn continued walking, not wishing to engage her new ally in conversation.

"What's the matter?" Viribus asked.

Lynn had her head held down, not wishing for her master to see her face. Her interaction with Margo had taken its toll. While Lynn was usually capable of putting on a tough front, and was able to do so when arguing with her sports buddy, her façade was at a crumbling point. But she felt insecure allowing Viribus to see her as her most vulnerable.

"Primis, answer me!" Viribus demanded as he grabbed Lynn by the arm.

Lynn continued to hold her head down, hoping he would just drop it. She tried one last time to hide her emotions.

Viribus continued to look down at his apprentice, sensing something was wrong. Eventually, the emotional turmoil gave in, and Lynn looked up to reveal her upset state of mind.

"Why are you crying?" asked a concerned Viribus.

"I'm sorry." Lynn apologetically said.

"Huh?" he responded.

"I can't do this!" Lynn blurted out as she began to cry.

Lynn hated revealing her feelings, but even the toughest of people had them underneath. Lynn's emotions had been pulled and stretched to their limits for the previous few weeks, too, making her more fragile than usual. That didn't stop her from being ashamed in herself for letting her soft side shine through, however.

Lynn then expected her master, with a stern and serious expression on his face, to berate her for being weak and lacking the will to do what was needed. She prepared herself for a fierce talking down to. However, her master's response was actually quite surprising…

"It's alright." Viribus said to her.

"What?" asked Lynn.

"Don't worry. We all have moments like this." He calmly told her, trying to be comforting.

"But I'm being weak!" Lynn cried.

"I know, but it's early days. We will work on that. If I didn't think you were strong enough, physically and mentally, then I would not have made you my apprentice." Viribus reassured her.

Lynn found it quite strange, that the most ruthless and violent person she had ever met, was actually showing such a comforting and caring side.

"I should remind you. Behind the cover of every strong, tough, powerful character… lies a damaged and vulnerable soul. Let me tell you a secret. Behind the tough, invincible image I present outwards, I am… actually quite scared. Of many things." He uneasily admitted.

"Really?" Lynn asked.

"It's true. It stems from my past experiences, naturally. I was once a shy, timid little loner child. No will to fight back. No backbone. My transformation was not instant. It was gradual. But I did it, and I know you can, too. Together, we can be a strong force. We must be strong, so that we can make the difficult choices that require iron wills. Fear and consciousness will be suppressed and superseded by your drive to become better than the rest. It is paramount that we accomplish this if we are to succeed in combating the terrors of this world. I mean, if I were to ever show weakness, I would be eaten alive for it! I can never show anything other than my tough, hostile exterior! You, too, will soon become invulnerable, both physically and mentally." Viribus explained.

Lynn's sadness then began to neutralise, her master's words having successfully comforted and appealed to her.

"Like I told you, I get your struggles. It's not always easy, is it?" he rhetorically asked.

Lynn then hugged her friend, having been grateful for what he had done for her.

Viribus then took advantage of the fact that Lynn's trust in him had just skyrocketed. He thought it was time for a calculated risk.

"Primis, follow me. It's time I informed you of everything you need to know. I need to ensure your loyalty is genuine. It's important now that we're about to enact the final phase of our plan." Viribus told his new follower.

* * *

 _That's 20 chapters. At this point, the story is the same length as my previous fic, Pushover or Payback, which was exactly 20 chapters in length. However, this story is evidently a little bit longer. There will be 25 chapters in total when it is over. It doesn't seem like that much is left, yet I've still got a fair way to go before I'm finished._

 _But progression rates should pick up from now. I aim to have this fic finished by the end of September. But we'll see how things go. I should be back with chapter 21 within a week or less._


	21. Obstacles

**Chapter 21: Obstacles**

 _At last, it's climax time. The next few chapters will have everything be settled between the Loud family and our antagonists. As I mentioned previously, we're coming to the end. Just a little bit longer to go._

 _Enjoy._

* * *

The sunrise was nearing its time to commence, and so was the plan of Viribus and Henry. However, before he moved forward with the final phase of his strategy, he had one unfinished piece of business to take care of, concerning his apprentice and greatest enemy…

"Where are we going?" asked Lynn.

"Somewhere to test your loyalty, young Primis." Viribus said.

"Huh?" a confused Lynn expressed.

"I need to make sure I know whose side you're really on. Today is crucial in my grand scheme." Viribus ominously stated.

Lynn was lured downstairs to the basement of her master's new hideout. She was shocked to see what was in front of her.

"L.. Lincoln?" a shocked Lynn asked.

Her brother was in a terrible state. Hurt and exhausted, low and miserable, he could barely speak. Being tied up for hours, electrified, and emotionally damaged managed to drain him physically.

"I'm so sorry." Lynn sympathetically said as she ran over and embraced her brother, glad to see him again after everything, even if it was under unfortunate circumstances.

Lynn then turned around, fuming at her so-called friend…

"You told me you would leave my family ALONE!" Lynn yelled at the two men.

"I told you bringing her in was bad idea, sir." Henry insisted.

But Viribus put his hand up and signalled his lackey to keep quiet, so he could talk to his apprentice. Lynn, meanwhile, was focused on her brother.

"Lincoln, I didn't mean for this to happen. I didn't know this was going to happen to you! He said he'd leave you alone!" Lynn explained.

"It is… true, then?" a tired and destroyed Lincoln asked.

"What's true?" Lynn asked.

"You sided with… these monsters!" Lincoln said.

"Well, I…" Lynn began to respond, trying to justify herself, but was interrupted.

"Yes, boy. Your sister has joined me. Of course, you should be thanking me, really." Viribus stated.

"Lynn! Please… listen to me. I love you… but you need to do the right thing." Lincoln struggled to say to his sister through each breath, of which he had very little.

"Aw, look. Little Lincoln is trying to talk sense into his sister, but he's too tired and broken to say it without running out of breath every 2 seconds!" Henry mocked.

"As I said, you should be grateful. After all, you and your family are the epitome of dysfunctional, and sadly, your stupid little family is only a sample of every other bunch of degenerate morons out there! Your sisters and you are all immature, selfish, emotionally unstable, violent brats who fight and scheme over the most ludicrous of things. I mean, a sister fight protocol? The car sweet spot? The friend card?! Really?! When you told me of all those things back when we first met, I just thought of you Louds as a bunch of complete vermin. Unfortunately, you're the norm and not the exception. All humans are the same scum as you are, and I tried to change them for the better, but you all just denied me on every turn. Now, I determine that you imbeciles are not worthy of life or existence, so you must be destroyed. One small populace at a time." Viribus justified.

"You're still… MAD!" Lincoln spat in disgust.

"And your sister here, she was the worst of all of you. A mentally damaged, aggressive, bullying jock-head who even managed to get you locked out of the house one time. Of course, that was before I found her, and elevated her, and gave her life a greater purpose. I took advantage of her competitive nature, and transformed her into a supreme bring, a winner of the grand competition of life." Viribus finished.

"By putting her… on drugs!" Lincoln responded.

"Oh yes, I still have some lying about the place, you know. Maybe I'll give her some more so she can be as strong and formidable as me!"

"And now she will join us in spreading destruction all over the place! We're going to be leaving Royal Woods soon, and we'll be leaving it as a lifeless husk!" Henry continued.

"Oh yes, now that the bombs are in position, all we have to do is drive out of town, and then blow up the place from afar." Viribus finished.

"WHAT!?" Lynn asked in shock and surprise.

"I told you, Primis, we are the winners. They are the losers. And in this game, losers perish. It's a basic law of evolution." Viribus justified.

"Do you see… what's he's doing now… Lynn?" Lincoln pleaded to his sister.

Lynn couldn't think straight, and couldn't decide what to do. She was supposed to be loyal to Viribus, but she wasn't sure she could when he was about to do something so drastic and evil.

"Lynn… please go. You can stop him! You're better… than them!" Lincoln told Lynn.

Viribus then came over and put his hand on Lynn's shoulder, and then responded…

"Primis, you have a choice to make. I need to know you're with me on this. No betrayals this time. Remember, your family never accepted you for who you are. They never embraced your competitive nature or your aggressive, somewhat masculine behaviour. I nurtured it and gave you something better than what mere sports could give you. I went through your struggles. I suffered rejection at the hands of my peers, and I came to see things as you do, that you need to be aggressive to make it in this world. That little pushover of a brother isn't worth your time. So, Primis, who's side are you on?" Viribus forcibly made Lynn answer.

After a brief moment of hesitation and tension and hanging her head down out of pressure, Lynn raised her head back up and gave her decision.

"I've made my choice. I made it back in the sewers." She declared.

Viribus was taken by surprise, gladdened by the fact that she actually chose to remain loyal to him.

"Excellent! You have made a wise decision, Primis. Who needs Royal Woods when you have my guidance?" he rhetorically asked her.

"Lynn… how could you?" Lincoln struggled.

"Sorry, bro. But he's right. The world turned its back on me. Now I'm returning the favour." Lynn coldly explained.

"Let's get going. Before those annoying Louds get here. Leave little Lincoln Loud to wallow in self-pity and depression for the final hours of his life." Viribus instructed as the trio left the basement.

Lynn looked back at Lincoln one last time after the two adults made their way upstairs, and said to him…

"I know you can't understand why I'm doing this, Lincoln, but it's something I have to do." Lynn told him, saddened by the fact that she couldn't fully explain herself to him.

Lincoln was once again left in darkness, saddened at not only the betrayal of his sister, but the victory of his greatest enemy, and what that meant for the well-being of everyone he cared about. Yet there was nothing he could do…

* * *

"Let's get out of here, Fredericks!" Viribus ordered his follower.

The two got ready to make a quick escape in their van out of town, once Lynn had ascended from the basement. Viribus was rushing around, in a hurry to get out of the building.

"Primis, say goodbye to your hometown. It's about to go out in a blaze of glory." Viribus informed the young girl as she made her way back to the ground floor.

At that moment, there was a knock on the front door. The three paused in their sights, fearful that they had been discovered by some uninvited guests.

"Louds?" Henry asked.

"Impossible. They lack the intelligence and resources to find us." Viribus stated.

"Police?" Lynn asked.

"But I kept them busy with all the other criminals all night. We shouldn't even be on their to-do list." He defended.

The knocks then repeated, but with more violent loudness to them.

"Open this door, Kelly! We need to talk!" said a familiar voice.

"Ah, it's only Mamba and her cronies." Viribus said.

He walked over and opened the door and looked down at Mamba, along with her sidekicks, Mamushi and Viper.

"I don't have much time, so tell me what you want and go!" Viribus demanded.

"You said you'd help me get to my grandmother so I could see her." Mamba said angrily.

"Yeah. We don't normally care for this mushy stuff, but we know this means a lot to her!" Viper continued.

"So why don't you stick by your word?" Mamushi asked.

"Oh, please. We only used you as part of my plan to have Primis join me and help me escape from prison. You were merely a pawn. But hey, you have your freedom, don't you? Go and find her yourselves." He coldly told them.

"Hey! We had a deal!" Mamba shouted.

"SCRAM!" Viribus yelled, losing patience.

Mamba was taken aback, knowing Viribus was a threatening and dangerous figure. Her sidekicks, on the other hand…

"You don't scare us!" Viper challenged.

"Yeah! You help us or there's gonna be trouble!" Mamushi followed.

"No, don't!" Mamba tried to warn them.

But to no avail. Her two sidekicks tried to leap towards Viribus, but he grabbed each of them by the throat with both his hands, and powerfully slammed them to the ground.

"I won't tell you again, GET LOST!" he screamed at the young delinquents. Knowing they were outmatched; the snake gang ran for it.

"Alright, now that they're gone, let's get moving ourselves!" Viribus insisted, wanting to get a move on, sensing more trouble was coming.

His last obstacle seemingly cleared, Viribus prepared to make his getaway. He had Henry and Primis approach him and they began to make their exit out the front door.

"Okay, let's get…" he said, but then stopped as he saw an alarming sight.

As he made it outside, he looked and saw that across the road, the Loud family was standing.

"On the off chance that the snake ladies could overpower you for us, we allowed them the opportunity of defeating you. But in fear that they wouldn't be enough, here we are." Lisa smugly explained.

"That's right, dude! We're here for our brother and sister!" Luna added.

"Give them back!" Leni demanded.

"How did you find me?" Viribus asked.

"Well, bucko, we Louds have our methods." Lynn Sr proudly stated.

"It was a simple strategy. We had Luna and Lola, whose punk-rock edginess and ill-tempered vengeful tendencies respectively made them valid candidates for posers of escaped prisoners. They went around asking every escaped criminal in town who was released as a result of your laughable little plan, and eventually we came across a trio of reptilian-themed ladies who stated they knew you. Figuring they were probably the most reliable source of information of your whereabouts, given the connections they have with you, we persuaded them to lead us directly to your new hidden location." Lisa explained.

"Clever. Well, if it's your precious little Lincoln you want, he's all yours. He's down in the basement. We're done with him." Viribus said.

"And what about Lynn?" Lana asked.

"Lynn? Oh, you mean Primis. MY apprentice." Viribus teased.

"Ha, you must literally be joking!" Lori said.

But then, to the shock of the family, who all let out a collective gasp at her presence, and her new look, Lynn stepped out and stood beside her new master…

"As you can see, she now belongs to me! Her mind is mine!" Viribus mockingly told them.

"LJ!? What are you doing?!" asked a confused Lynn Sr.

"Face it, Louds! You've lost!" Henry bragged.

"Lynn Loud Junior! You step over here this instant!" Rita commanded.

"Ha, you're not the boss of me anymore, Rita!" Lynn Jr bit back.

"Lynn? Why?" asked a sad and disappointed Leni.

"Because you guys never accepted me for who I am! Lord Viribus nurtures my aggressive, competitive side." Lynn insisted.

"It's true. Now that I've given her something so much better, she doesn't want to go back to you." Viribus rubbed in.

"Besides, there won't be much to go back to." Henry added.

"What does that mean?" Rita asked.

"Look, in his hand. It must be some kind of doomsday device!" Lisa pointed out.

And indeed, Viribus had the detonator in his hand. Sensing conflict with the enemies who had just arrived, he decided to pull out the trump card to retain control of the situation.

"Well, it's been fun catching up, but I have a stupid little town to burn, so if you'll excuse me…" Viribus joked.

"I don't think so, dude!" Luna replied.

"Do not approach me, or this town goes up in flames!" Viribus warned.

"He's bluffing! He would never willingly blow himself up!" Lucy argued.

"That's it! Take him out!" Lola yelled.

The Louds all collectively leaped at Viribus as they tried to retrieve the device from his hand. The collective force of all 9 sisters was enough to take him off his feet.

"Keep him down!" Lana shouted.

"This time, you're NOT getting back up!" Lola barked, recollecting the fact that previously, Viribus was able to power out.

Each sister grabbed a different part of a limb and used all their strength to keep it there. Lynn Sr then began throwing punches and kicks at the mad man. Between them, they had a way of cleverly neutralising the big man's power and combat prowess.

But Viribus was not alone this time. As the family directed their attention at him, his lackey Henry was approaching them from behind with his taser.

He suddenly and without hesitation or regret attacked Lori, Luna, Leni and Lucy with his weapon. One by one, he picked off the sisters whilst they had their hands full with Viribus.

The other family members then turned their attention to their second opponent, and this allowed Viribus to capitalise on the opportunity to escape…

"Never turn your backs!" he said to his enemies.

Viribus then raked Luan in the eyes to throw her off, hit Lynn Sr hard enough to knock him away, and then the remaining younger sisters were easy enough to overpower. He quickly shrugged off the young girls and regained a standing position.

As the remaining Louds continued to grapple with the insane madman, Henry noticed Rita was absent from the action. He then realised it was mentioned that Lincoln was in the basement to her…

He motherly protective instinct having kicked in, Rita was indeed freeing her son from his imprisonment…

"Sweetie, I'm so glad you're safe!" Rita said as she hugged her son right after freeing him.

"I'm just glad… to see you again!" Lincoln said back, still tired and harmed, but slowly starting to regain his health and energy.

But their heart-warming moment was cut short, as their way out was blocked by a very evil and very sinister figure.

"Isn't it nice that you two are having a lovey-dovey moment? Too bad it's the last one you'll ever have!" Henry threatened as he pulled out the taser.

"I'm going to shock you until you're roasted inside out!" Henry threatened as he approached the mother and child.

But the Louds were not just going to give up and back off. They had no way of escaping anyway, and were prepared to go down fighting.

* * *

 _Well, you'll find out what happens next soon enough. From this point onwards, I'll try to upload the remaining chapters within less than a week after the last one. We'll see if I stick to that, but there's a pretty good chance, considering I'm about 98% finished with this project (just a little more to add on chapters 23-25 and some proof reading to do)._


	22. Outplayed

**Chapter 22: Outplayed**

 _I managed to finish this chapter a little earlier than planned. So… enjoy._

* * *

Lincoln and Rita were trapped in the basement with the vile sports coach, who intended to harm them gravely with the weapon in his hand. It seemed hopeless for the mother and son…

"Please, sir. Let my son go. He's just a little boy!" Rita pleaded with the buff man.

"I don't think so. I've wanted to do this for days! That runt is so annoying!" Henry responded.

But at that point, Lincoln stood in front of Rita and prepared for attack. Lincoln bravely stood up against a man who physically outmatched him, even when he was still in a state of physical recovery.

"Mom, stand back. I got this." Lincoln told her.

"Lincoln! What are you doing?!" Rita screamed, terrified for her child.

Henry then lunged towards Lincoln with the taser in his right hand. However, Lincoln managed to grab it with both his own hands. Surprising Henry, Lincoln quickly took the opportunity to drive the taser back into Henry's stomach.

"ARGHH!" Henry screamed in pain as he was hit by his own taser.

Henry then collapsed to his knees. Reacting quickly, Lincoln punted him in the head, knocking him out.

"Phew!" Lincoln expressed in relief as he collapsed to his knees, that brief movement having took a lot out of him given his physical state at that moment.

"Oh, sweetie!" Rita said as she ran over to her son and embraced him with a hug.

"That was incredible. Where did you learn that?" she asked.

"Honestly, I learned it from Viribus. He taught me basic combat when we first met, remember?" Lincoln reminded her.

"Viribus! Our family is in trouble!" Rita shouted in horror as she realised the battle upstairs was still ongoing.

* * *

Meanwhile, the remaining Louds in the fight were doing their best to deal with the might of their opponent. Lynn watched from the side as she felt conflicted. Who was she going to help? Her family or her new master?

"Have a face full of leather!" Luan yelled as she pulled out her boxing glove on a spring device.

She aimed it at Viribus, but he simply slipped his head to the side, then grabbed the glove and pulled the device, and Luan with it, towards him.

He then grabbed Luan by the throat and began choking her. Luan tried to break free by using the shock buzzer on her hand again, but Viribus saw it coming…

"That won't work this time!" he viciously whispered to the young prankster, before throwing her into a wall.

Lana and Lola then ran towards him and tried to sink their teeth into any exposed body part they could. Viribus got a hold of Lana, but then Lola bit him in the arm.

"GRRR! Why you little!" Viribus yelled at the little girl before throwing Lana to the side and swatting Lola off his arm.

"HEY!" Lana yelled furiously at the sight of her twin being hurt, before leaping towards the madman another time.

Viribus saw Lana approaching, and prepared for a counterattack. He used a bar of soap technique, grabbing Lana's leg and pulling it forward, whilst pushing against her body with a shoulder tackle. Different levels of her body being moved in different directions, Lana's upright balance was lost and she collapsed to the ground. He then picked up Lana and threw her into Lisa, taking both out.

Lynn Sr, having been taken out a moment ago, regained himself as he saw the big man harming his daughters. His instincts as a loving father kicked in…

"HOW DARE YOU!" He boomingly shouted, before coming back for more.

"This is getting tiresome." Viribus claimed, irritated with having to deal with yet another opponent.

Lynn Sr wildly threw punches at Viribus, albeit with no significant effect. After a few seconds, Viribus responded with venom. Quick, critical strikes were dished out against the Loud father's pressure points. He was taken aback by a vicious headbutt, then kneed in the groin area, given a nasty punch to the throat, and was finally floored with a low kick to the kneecap.

Lynn Jr watched in terror as her father was dropped to the ground in intense pain. She looked over as she saw her family suffering because of her and her new friend.

"Lynn, help us!" Lola shouted at her as started to stand up again.

However, as she got back onto her feet, Lynn grabbed a hold of her younger sister from behind.

"Sorry." Lynn said before giving Lola a suplex, taking her out of the fight.

Rita and then emerged from the basement into the room to see what was going on. Rita gasped in horror as she saw her family laying on the floor, beaten up. Lincoln was also shocked, but just as angry.

Lincoln then launched himself at Viribus, who used a ridge hand to strike him and halt his momentum, before performing a violent hip toss on the boy.

Rita ran over to her husband, who was the most badly hurt out of everyone.

"Oh, honey. What happened?" she asked sympathetically.

"He was too much for us. Check on the kids, they're hurt, too. *cough cough*" Lynn Sr told her.

"Considering you're now free, I gather you somehow managed to defeat Fredericks? No matter. He aided in preventing you fools from beating me a second time." Viribus commented.

Viribus then walked over and grabbed the detonation device.

"Now that you're all down, I can leave the building and detonate all the bombs planted across Royal Woods. All of its most precious buildings, from the local government offices, to the police station, the biggest stores, the bank, all reduced to rubble. I included your house just for fun, too. Also, you're not safe here. This building has a bomb inside it, too. To remove any possibility of the police finding evidence that could trace my future whereabouts." Viribus elaborated.

Sick of his words, one last opponent emerged.

"You twisted MONSTER!" Rita yelled as she ran with rage towards the man responsible for her husband's injuries.

Viribus then stood there calmly, not even feeling the need to put up a defence, as he was counting on his ally to do it for him.

Sure enough, she did. Lynn Jr approached Rita from the side as she was running towards Viribus and tripped her, making her fall to the ground hard, much to his pleasure and the family's shock.

"Sorry, mom. I'm with him now." Lynn stated.

"Best choice you've ever made. Just think, we have such power. To be able to destroy an entire town of people and creations. With the simple push of a button. Doesn't it feel wonderful to be a god?" Viribus tempted her.

"Yeah, it does." Lynn smiled in satisfaction.

"Well, Louds. It' been fun, but there's a very bright future in store for us all. Probably a little brighter for you, actually. Your efforts were respectable, but you are only ordinary humans. While I am something far greater." He arrogantly told his fallen adversaries.

As Viribus began to approach the front door to walk away, Lynn made one final request.

"Can I do it?" Lynn asked.

"What?" he replied.

"I want to push the button." Lynn told him.

Sensing her loyalty was guaranteed at that point, considering she just betrayed her own family outright by attacking them in the fight, and believing saying yes in front of the Louds would satisfyingly rub salt into their wounds…

"Yes. You being the one to do it would just be so great!" he agreed.

He then threw the device over to Lynn, who raised it above her head with a sadistic grin on her face.

"Look, Louds. Your own flesh and blood is about to destroy you. I was right when I tried to make it clear to you that at their core, everybody is rotten. Now you will die learning the truth."

Viribus then walked towards the door and prepared to make a final exit, sure that his new ally would follow. With a smug look on his face and a mental certainty that he had won, he was feeling good at that moment…

…and then the moment passed.

His eardrums alerted him to the sound of something breaking.

"Huh?" he asked himself as he turned around to face his apprentice.

He saw Lynn, holding a crumbled mess in her hand.

She had destroyed the device by crushing it, though without actually pressing the button, making sure she avoided putting pressure on that part.

"Primis?! What have you done?!" he asked with a surprised tone.

Lynn then dropped the mess in her hand on the floor, before proceeding to explain herself…

"Advantage, Lynn Loud Junior." She smugly told him.

"Why?" he asked with a surprisingly hurt and betrayed tone.

"Come on, bro. You didn't really think you had me fooled that easily, did ya?" she asked him.

"You mean…?" he questioned.

"Duh, lame-o! Did you really think a bunch of crazy talk in prison and then some dumb speech about winning the 'competition of life' was really enough to brainwash me into being your stupid slave? Come on! How dumb and gullible do you think I am?!" Lynn explained.

Viribus then developed an enraged expression as Lynn continued.

"But you…!" he started.

"I never joined you! I just played along with all your garbage! It's actually kinda hilarious you really thought I was on your side!" she mocked.

After a brief chuckle that only further ticked him off, Lynn continued to elaborate.

"I will admit, you got me with the Mamba stuff. But once she told me she was working for you, I knew I had to stop you. When I knew I couldn't stop you back in the sewers, I thought I'd beat you another way. That's when I decided to pretend to follow your dumb ideas about being the ultimate winner of life and being a 'god' so that I could ruin your big plan when I had the chance!" she proudly finished.

"So, you beat me at my own game?!" he asked angrily.

"Heh, you were never even a player. Your head is so far up your own butt that you delude yourself into thinking you're some master manipulator and brilliant strategist. You're not! I knew I just had to earn your trust, and you would just hand me what I needed to beat you. And what do you know? You just did!" she said.

The family were not only impressed with her intelligence and tactical planning, but also relieved that she hadn't actually been transformed into a monster. They collected shared an expression of pride and relief as they heard that news. Viribus, on the other hand…

"I see. Well played." He said calmly and modestly. However…

The calmness quickly turned out to be a façade, as he approached the young girl with great ferocity and anger.

Lynn prepared to defend herself as the raging madman raced towards her, but her efforts were futile. She had already been bested back in the sewers, and it appeared history was about to repeat itself. With the other Louds physically hurt and unable to help her, Lynn Jr was in trouble.

"You fool, now there's no way of blowing up the bombs!" he started as he back handed her in the face.

"I should've known you were never truly my friend! You're a weak little Loud, after all." He said as he took her to the ground.

"Still, at least your end will be quick!" he said as he went to curb-stomp her head into the ground, but she was able to jump out of the way.

"You might as well let me finish you off, child!" he insisted as he grabbed hold of the sporty girl by her ponytail as she tried to jump away, and threw her down the stairs into the basement.

Fortunately, Lynn was a strong and resilient kid. It wasn't the first time she had fallen, or jumped, down the stairs, and it surely wouldn't be the last. She survived with minimal pain or injury. But the beatdown wasn't done yet. Viribus began walking downstairs to continue…

"A fast demise. Surely, that must be preferable to the shame you will face returning to your old life and going forward. Constantly trying to regain the favour of a world that sees you as a traitor and a violent piece of scum that deserves to be locked away forever!" he spat at the young girl.

He then got down and began to strangle Lynn as she was on the ground.

"Honestly, if anyone could understand my struggles, it should've been you. All those years, trying to be nice and friendly to everyone, only to have them laugh in your face and exclude you. How do you not go mad and just exterminate them?!" he asked the young girl.

She struggled to speak as her neck was under tremendous pressure from the man above her, strangling away, but she muttered a few words out…

"…I'm … just … stronger!" she told him.

"After all my efforts to teach and guide you, you still show me no respect! You're as weak and moronic as your brother! You're a Loud, alright!" he remarked as he temporarily loosened his grip.

"And proud!" she bit back.

"You know… I really did believe you were on my side, for a second. I had such plans for you, Primis." He sadly reflected, before preparing to finish her off.

But the tide of the fight was about to turn…

As Viribus attempted to throw a punch, Lynn blocked the strike, before quickly sliding her feet underneath his stomach. She then kicked up, forcing him off.

"Heh. You caught me off guard there. Now it's my turn!" she said.

Lynn then came back with a vengeance. The speed and power of her attacks were greater than ever before. Her punches and kicks were coming with such fierceness and speed that even a master combatant like Viribus was struggling to block and evade them.

After a few moments of struggling, Lynn then delivered a quick knee to the groin.

"AGH! You dirty little…" Viribus yelled, but was stopped when Lynn jumped behind him.

Then, with her impressive level of strength, actually managed to execute a suplex on the much larger man.

"What the?! How could a little girl like you do that?! I outmatch you in every way!" Viribus asked in shock.

"Easy, I train hard." She responded, before performing a jumping spinning kick to the head.

Like earlier in the sewer, Viribus saw it coming and threw her towards the wall, but she managed to place her feet against the wall and spring back off it. She attempted a mid-air superman punch but Viribus sidestepped the attack.

"Too much showboading, kid." Viribus said as he attempted a ridge hand strike at Lynn after she landed on the ground and turned to face him.

But Lynn grabbed his hand, then used her other hand to strike his throat, making him groggy.

"I don't like you talking down to my family like that! They're good people, and they're kind and always look out for each other! But you wouldn't know anything about that, would you?" Lynn asked Viribus as he regained himself.

He then tried another attack but Lynn jumped out of the way.

"You're only in it for yourself!" she told him.

"Look who's talking!" he countered, before performing another strike attempt.

But Lynn blocked it and then executed a low kick to his knee, temporarily subduing him.

"But I gotta admit, you being here feels pretty good. With my family, I'm always having to hold back. A girl with my strength and physical talents has to restrain herself when she's doing stuff with her brother and sisters. Or I'd end up seriously hurting them. Even when we're fighting, I have to stop myself from going all out! I'm not the merciless brute most people think I am!" Lynn said.

Viribus then suppressed his pain and leaped at Lynn another time, but she managed to outmanoeuvre him and trip him with the leg, sending him to the ground. As he looked up at his opponent in anger whilst on one knee, she continued…

"But you can handle my best, can't you, tough guy? This is my chance to let loose and show off just how tough I really am!" she stated, before preparing for one final assault.

Lynn then screamed as she came towards Viribus with more rage, fire and harmful intent than ever, eclipsing even the anger she displayed during her previous time on the enhancements. She struck the man with so many punches, kicks, knees, elbows and headbutts. Each one executed with power and precision, but also hate. Even for someone as resilient as Viribus, the beating was taking its toll. After a moment, Viribus collapsed to the floor in pain and exhaustion.

She had done it… the enemy was beaten.

Looking down at her opponent with a livid expression, Lynn was prepared to dish out some punishment for everything she had been through over the past few weeks…

…but then, something unexpected happened.

Lynn looked at the man on the floor. His tough demeanour completely destroyed. He actually looked as if he was almost cowering with fear, trying his absolute best to hide it. The defeat left Viribus broken, like he had reverted back to his youthful days as the softer and vulnerable Jake Kelly. Lynn saw this fear in his eyes and, in spite of everything he had done, came to have a little sympathy for him. For a moment, she saw in him what she once was. A scared little child. Someone frightened and paranoid of the world around them and what they might do.

Lynn lowered her fist as she looked down at the defeated dictator. Viribus, intimidated but still cognisant of what was happening, decided to take advantage of Lynn's self-distraction. He made a quick run for it. He ran up the stairs with what little physical capacity he had left, and past the other Louds, then straight out the front door.

She was exhausted, battered and bruised all over, and emotionally all over the place, but she was victorious. She had defeated her greatest enemy and rescued her entire family from certain doom. Her family had no idea how she managed to do it, but were proud of her all the same. As she was about to collapse out of fatigue and tiredness, her family rushed downstairs and held her before she fell flat on her face.

As they supported her and enabled her to remain standing, the Loud family embraced Lynn in a hug. For the first time since her sentence was carried out, the Louds were one again…

* * *

 _Well, that's Viribus's plan utterly foiled. But he's still out there. Anyway, you're probably wondering what the final 3 chapters will be about since you've just had what was seemingly the final battle conclude here. But you know what they say. Spoilers!_

 _As I said last time, I intend to upload chapter 23 within less than a week. Hopefully, I'll stick to that aim this time. Not long to go, now._


	23. How She Did It

**Chapter 23: How She Did It**

 _Well, it's nearly the end now. But before we get there, certain things need to be clarified and wrapped up. It's nearly the end, now. Enjoy._

* * *

"You did it, Lynn!" Lori praised.

"Great job, LJ!" Lynn Sr said.

"I'm really proud of you." Lincoln told his sister.

"Thanks, you guys. It was nothing, really." She said as she tried to be modest.

"Come on, Lynnsanity. Modesty has never been your thing. You were wicked, dude!" Luna insisted.

"Besides, this was far from nothing." Lucy said.

"Well, I'd do it again if it means keeping you guys safe. You're my family." Lynn said wholeheartedly.

"That is appreciated, sibling. However, there is still information I would like confirming." Lisa stated.

"Huh?" Lynn asked.

"What I mean to say is, how did you pull it off?" Lisa questioned.

"Oh, right. I guess I owe you guys an explanation, huh?" Lynn said.

"Well, maybe just a little. Like telling us how you managed to beat that psycho strong man!" Lola said.

"Yeah, I know. Don't get me wrong, Lynn, you're tough as nails, but Viribus is, well…" Lincoln started.

"I know he is. Viribus already managed to beat me once, as I mentioned, back in the sewers. That's not even to mention the time when it took over 20 of us to beat him, and that was before he grew in size." Lynn recalled.

"So how did you do it?" Lincoln asked.

"That's easy. I gave the chump a taste of his own medicine!" Lynn figuratively stated, before pointing at the other side of the room.

Lying there was an opened container of the same super steroids she had been given by her coach previously.

"You mean?" Lincoln questioned.

"Yep. I know you're going to frown at me for taking them, but I figured I'd need all the help I could get if I ever wanted to beat Viribus! He's really strong, even for me, so I took more of those pills last night so I'd be tough enough to take him down!" Lynn explained.

Lisa then walked over to the container and picked up one of the pills that was spilt on the floor.

"Hmmm. Fascinating. These enhancements as you describe them have all the benefits, and side effects, of steroids but work on a highly amplified and accelerated basis, like daily strength and energy boosters. I think I'll take samples back to my lab for testing." Lisa said.

"Exactly! Those things, whatever they are, are dangerous, but gosh dang it they're good at making you stronger and faster! Also, you guys don't normally have to deal with me giving it my all when we're fighting or anything. No offense, but for someone with my strength and athleticism, I could hurt you all pretty easily if I really wanted to." Lynn said.

"Boastful as always, I see, Lynn?" Lori asked jokingly.

"Besides, Viribus didn't seem like he was at the top of his game in that fight. I think your betrayal genuinely hurt him." Luan commented.

"Really? Who would have thought a monster like that could feel anything!" Lana responded.

Lynn briefly pondered to herself as she recollected that vulnerable expression on his face after she defeated him and looked down at him on the floor. He appeared so sad and scared. She couldn't believe she was actually feeling sympathy for the man responsible for all her pain.

"Well, that explains why you were able to kick his butt, but that still doesn't explain why you didn't let me or anyone else in the family in on your plan." Lincoln angrily put forward.

"That's a fair point. Why didn't you tell us, Lynn?" Lori asked.

"Okay, I think I'm going to have to go through it slowly. Please follow every detail, it's important…" Lynn began.

* * *

 _"After pretending to be on his side and following him back to his hideout, Viribus made plans for you guys and Royal Woods, while I made plans of my own. I had to undo the mess I'd created when I let all the prisoners go free."_

 _"I pretended to be on his side so he would spare me and let me in on his tactics. But I had to be careful and secretive. If he found out I was lying and trying to fool him, my plan would have been ruined. That meant I also couldn't tell anyone about what I was doing. Even when Jake and Henry weren't in the room. If any of you found out, he might have hurt you and broke you down until he got that info! We all know what horrible stuff he's capable of."_

 _"I also couldn't tell anybody else for the same reason. I ran into my therapist last night while I was roaming the streets, and she questioned me about what I was doing. I had to lie to her and pretend I was really working with Viribus, even though she was putting pressure on me. I knew he was hanging around the area, and may have overheard me say something, so I had to go along with the act. Like I said to you, Lincoln. You couldn't understand why I was doing what I was doing until now. It would ruin everything."_

 _"I admit, one move I made was pretty risky, but I couldn't help myself. I didn't try and visit you guys at the house because I didn't want you guys to end up involved in this, but I thought visiting my friend Margo would be pretty harmless, since Jake didn't know or care about her. I was hoping just to quickly say hi and have a nice talk, but of course, the questions had to come flying out, which was understandable, I guess. At that point, I had to ruin it by pretending to be the bad guy again so she wouldn't find out what I was doing and end up being a target. I didn't want to risk anyone's safety with all this by letting them in on my plan. It was my mess, so it should only have been my butt on the line to fix it."_

 _"When you found the hideout and started fighting, that kinda shocked me. I didn't expect that to happen. I wanted to help you guys, but I couldn't blow the plan. I knew he had a device capable of destroying Royal Woods right in his hand, and I couldn't risk him setting it off by turning on him too soon. I had to help him beat you, so he would finally trust me enough that he would willingly let me take the thing out of his hands. When he did that, I knew I had succeeded!"_

* * *

"Wow! That's… smart. Maybe I misjudged you, Lynn. Maybe your brain doesn't have as much spare room as I previously thought." Lisa commended.

"Thanks. I think." Lynn replied.

"You really did all that? Woah, I guess all your strategic sports playing really paid off." Lincoln said.

"Yep. There's more brains needed for sports than most people know." Lynn stated.

"LJ, you still could have told us about what you were doing. We wouldn't have blabbed!" Lynn Sr insisted.

"I know. I trust you guys, but if Viribus began to suspect something was up, he might have hurt you guys to get back at me. I couldn't risk him finding out, so I had to keep my mouth shut about the whole thing." Lynn said.

"Well, that explains how you beat him! But what happens now?" Lana asked.

"Yeah, is Lynn going to have to go back to juvie?" Leni sadly asked her parents.

"Well, I don't know, but surely saving the entire town counts for something. At least, her sentence might be lowered." Rita said.

"But how will we prove Lynn did any of this, or prove anything else that's happened today?" Lori questioned.

"Well, aren't there bombs scattered all over town? Surely that will be all the proof we need." Lucy mentioned.

"Gosh, that's a good point. They could go off at any time!" Lynn Sr shouted.

"No, the only way they can be set off is with the remote I just destroyed!" Lynn Jr added.

"I wouldn't be so sure." Lisa said as she walked to the corner of the room.

She noticed a hole in the floor. She reached her hand into it and found one of the bombs in there. She then lifted it out.

"That must be the bomb that nutjob said was in this building!" Luna pointed out.

"Correct." Lisa responded as she closely examined the bomb.

"What?" Lincoln asked.

"We better inform the police to start searching for all these things. The remote may have been the only available method of detonating all the explosives at once, but these things can individually activate in a similar way to mines. If collided against anything with enough force, they may begin a timer sequence which will cause them to explode." Lisa concluded.

Lisa then slowly and softly placed the bomb back on the ground.

"I think we better make a run for it!" Lincoln said.

The whole family then raced out of the building, not feeling safe inside anymore.

Wanting to get as far away from the place as possible, the family decided there was only one place they could go to that was safe. Their home.

They noticed amongst themselves as they quietly and cautiously walked the streets of the town that there were no longer criminals all over the place like the night before…

"This seems weird, doesn't it?" Luna started.

"What?" Luan asked.

"The prisoners have all left!" Luna said.

"Yes. I wonder why." Lori wondered.

"Oh, yeah. That was me, too." Lynn mentioned.

"Really? But how?" asked Lincoln.

"While I was out roaming the streets, bumping into the likes of Margo and the counsellor, I also acted on another part of my plan." She stated.

"What did you do?" Lucy questioned.

"I planted a setup for all the prisoners and juvie offenders. The cops were stretched to their limits, struggling to find all of the escaped criminals, so I thought I'd make their jobs easier. I spread a little fake rumour around to a lot of the guys hanging around the town…" she started to explain as she recollected her steps from the night before.

* * *

 _"Alright, guys. Let's grab the loot and get out of here!" Joe said to his buddies._

 _Lynn then approached the trio with some information._

 _"Yo, you guys interested in a faster, much easier way to get more money?" she teased._

 _"Yeah. But how would you know anything about that?" he condescendingly responded._

 _"I know people on the inside, too. Anyway, rumour has it, the Royal Woods Bank is down on security at the moment. Earlier tonight, some jerks pulled off a heist and in the process, several security guards were hurt and the cops are obviously too busy to be dealing with it. The word's been getting around amongst us escaped prisoners. Everyone's planning on raiding the place in one hour. They don't stand a chance! We'll all earn a good buck out of it!" Lynn told him._

 _"Hmmm. Interesting." He replied._

 _"Anyway, I've been asked to spread the word to the other escapees. It's basically gonna be a mega mugging. You'll get your money's worth out of it!" she said as she walked off._

* * *

"I basically went around telling all the prisoners the same garbage story about a mass raid at the bank. What they didn't know, of course, was that I wasn't in on it with them. After a LOT of attempts at calling the cops, I FINALLY managed to get through to some lady at the station, tell her about what was going to happen, and set a trap for all the criminals." She told her family.

"So… you just single-handedly saved the entire town from weeks and weeks of crime?!" Lincoln asked.

"Yep. But it's not as good as it sounds." She responded.

"What do you mean?" Lana asked.

"I was also the one who got them released in the first place, wasn't I? Viribus tricked me through those snake girls you met. I was set up. All I did today was clean up my own mess!" Lynn ashamedly admitted.

"Yeah, but you still put yourself at risk to correct your mistakes. You still did a really good and noble thing, LJ! You should be proud of yourself. Think of all the people whose lives you've made better because of your actions." Lynn Sr admirably told his daughter.

"Yeah, well. My plan didn't get all the escaped prisoners captured. Some of them wouldn't have fallen for the bait, or wouldn't have been interested. They're probably still running around doing whatever. Like Mamba, she's probably off trying to find her mother or something. It will still take a little longer before all the criminals are back inside. Besides, I don't see it making a lot of difference for me, and I guess it shouldn't. Now that my job is done, I know what I have to do." Lynn Jr said.

"What? You mean go back to juvie?" Leni asked nervously.

"That's not right! After what you've done?" Lana added.

"That's bogus, dudes! LJ should be let out now!" Luna argued.

"It's the way things are. I think I should just go and turn myself in, and not get myself into any more trouble. It was nice seeing you all again." Lynn sadly stated as she walked away from the rest of the family.

But as she began to do so, she was touched on the shoulder from behind…

"Lynn. We accept this might not mean you're in the clear, but whether you wind up back inside or not, we want to cherish the time we have." Lincoln told her as he held her shoulder.

"That's right. Lynn Jr, please come home with us, if only for the rest of the morning." Rita pleaded.

"It would be nice to see the house again, and to be with all of you." Lynn said as she turned around and smiled at her family.

She then began walking them again back to the Loud House…

…hopefully, she could at least have one cathartic morning with her family, before she went behind bars again.

* * *

 _But of course, it never works out that easily or conveniently, now does it? Yeah, this was just a short and straightforward chapter to the tale, but you can simply think of this as the calm before the storm._

 _The finale is scheduled to be uploaded on the 22nd and 23rd of the month. Chapters 24 and 25 will be the conclusion, and then this project can finally be classed as complete._

 _Much like last time, writing this fic has been an experience of sorts. Some interesting feedback and perspectives. Anyway, you have the climax to look forward to in less than a week. Then, who knows what I'll move onto next…_


	24. Destruction and Redemption

**Chapter 24: Destruction and Redemption (Part 1 of 2)**

 _So, the end is in sight. After many months of writing, checking and justifying creative decisions, I can finally see the ending. It has been fun._

 _But here we are. The final curtain of this tale. There are still some loose ends to tie up, and hopefully this two-parter of extra-long chapters will be enough to provide you all with a satisfying resolution._

 _Enjoy._

* * *

The Louds made it back to their house as the daylight sky fully emerged, late into the morning. The dark night that had preceded them was over and the bright sky indicated a similarly bright(er) future. It appeared that the danger was over and at that moment, regardless of what was to follow, they could enjoy one occasion together as a family. Before Lynn went away again…

…but it was never going to be that easy.

"Home sweet home!" Lynn Sr triumphantly exclaimed as the family returned to their house.

"It's finally over. Jake is gone, Henry is being arrested as we speak thanks to Lori calling the cops after we left the hideout, and the family is together again." Lincoln said.

"I think we should let Lynn walk in first. This is the first time she's been inside for a while, after all." Rita said.

Touched by her mother's sentimental gesture, Lynn Jr decided she would step inside her home again…

"Alright, time to reunite with the good ol' Loud house! You know, this place looks a lot more appealing now." Lynn said, as she took the key from her mother and opened the front door.

She opened the front door and slowly began to enter, but all of a sudden, she was made the victim of a sneaky leg sweep.

"Argh!" Lynn screamed as she hit the floor.

The Loud family gasped as they saw Viribus standing behind the door. He had found a way into the house, and was assaulting their own sister and daughter.

Viribus then quickly reached down and grabbed Lynn. He brought her back to her feet and applied a guillotine hold against her neck.

"One wrong move and the girl gets her neck broken!" he threatened to the family.

"You never give up, do you?!" Lincoln bitterly asked.

"No, I'm not a spineless weakling like you!" Viribus bit back.

"Let her go!" Lola yelled.

"You've already lost!" Luan followed.

"It's over, dude!" Luna said.

"This isn't over until I say it's over!" Viribus replied.

Viribus then began to retreat from the confrontation, forcing Lynn to move with him due to the hold.

"I have unfinished business to settle with Primis inside! Do not follow me, or her neck will snap like a matchstick!" Viribus instructed.

"Her name is Lynn!" Lincoln spitefully corrected.

Viribus ignored his enemy and took the young girl into the living room, where he could settle matters…

He threw Lynn against the wall and began interrogating her.

"Pretty sneaky move, kid. I know exactly what happened back there! Very clever to use my own supplements against me!" Viribus said.

"Oh, so you figured out my strategy, huh?" Lynn asked.

"Yes. How poetic that the very drugs that were used to set you up to go to juvie were the same ones that saved your life from justice by my hand. You found some lying around in my hideout overnight and took them at some point. No doubt, they were some that Fredericks left about carelessly. Naturally, by early morning, the effect was fully kicked in. Unfortunately for you, the effects are short lived. That sudden burst of extra strength, speed and resilience is gone. Now you are again my inferior!" he told her.

"I'm not inferior. You know why? Because I have others who look out for me, and you're all alone!" she spat.

Viribus then backhanded the hostile child before grabbing her by the shirt and pinning her against the wall even more ferociously.

"How dare you use my own enhancements to beat me! Who do you think you are, anyway?!" he angrily asked.

"I'm just a kid who's done listening to you!" Lynn responded.

"Do you have any idea what it's like to be me?! DO YOU!?" he screamed.

"NO! You know what? I'm NOT like you! I never was! You're insane!" Lynn yelled.

"I AM GOD!" he insisted furiously.

"Is that what you tell yourself to distract from the fact that you're a LOSER?!" Lynn questioned with intensity.

"All your ridiculous garbage about family and friends, and people looking out for you! It's all meaningless! That's life for you, MEANINGLESS!" he yelled as he began to lose it.

"Oh, please! And I thought I had problems! You really are a sad, pathetic little man, aren't you!?" Lynn insultingly said.

"Your problems? You know what? The only fault of yours is that like your brother, you are unwilling to conform to my visions! You know what else? All those vices of yours… the over-competitiveness, the selfishness, superstitions, cruel actions, jealousy, the ways in which you've made your family and friends suffer… it wasn't your fault. IT'S THOSE VERMIN OUT THERE!" he roared as he pointed to the front window.

"Always blaming someone else, huh?" Lynn snarked.

"Human beings. They're the problem. All of them, so cruel, vindictive, selfish, envious, discriminating… they don't give people like us a chance! Just like you, I was rejected by everyone, and then they all wonder why I do what I do, when the truth is I don't understand how they can expect me to just sit back after they ruined my life while they all get to live on, happy and consequence free. They deserve to be punished! That's why I hurt them! Face it, as far as they're concerned, you're as bad as I am! We're both monsters created by the masses!" Viribus told her.

"You're the only monster here, Jake!" Lynn barked back.

"Really? Last time I checked, the whole world LOATHED LYNN LOUD JUNIOR!" he shouted.

"Not as much as YOU! You're just butthurt because everyone else has a nice life and yours is the only one that means squat! There's only one person in this room that's PATHETIC, and it's not me!" Lynn shouted before finally summoning the strength and courage to push Viribus away.

"You know? It's pretty sad… all that talk about being a superior being and wanting to cleanse the world of scum. It's all just because you feel so worthless yourself, don't you? If you're what my competitive drive and aggressive ways will make me turn out like, then I don't want to be like this anymore! I'd rather go back to being a weak little pushover than be like you!" Lynn spitefully told him.

Completely pushed to breaking point mentally, Viribus was visibly stung by those words. His stamina was at its end. Already on his last legs of sanity and stability after his crippling defeat earlier that morning, he let go of the little jock and stepped back. After taking a moment to regain himself, he retaliated.

"YOU PATHETIC LITTLE!" he shouted as he tried to leap towards the young jock, only for her to counter with a quickly executed low kick to the knee.

The kick was powerful enough to further injure the madman, enough to bring him down. He supported himself with his one good knee, but with another knee damaged and his emotional distraught state, Viribus was done.

With a million thoughts an hour rushing inside his head, he just couldn't take it anymore emotionally. He collapsed to the ground as his vulnerabilities took over.

He lost his mask. The mask that protected him from the hostilities of the world for so long…

Lynn watched as the violent man before her transformed from a terrifying would-be destroyer of worlds… into a snivelling, emotionally wrecked, petrified child in the span of mere seconds…

Lynn just wasn't sure how to react. He didn't know what to hit him or comfort him. It was all so bizarre to her.

"There is something seriously wrong with you." Lynn commented, but with the venomous tone removed from her voice.

After another brief moment of him calming down from his hyper, shocked and crazed state, he sadly but civilly responded to her comment.

"How do you do it?" he asked out of genuine puzzle, extreme sadness coming from his tone of voice.

"Do what?" Lynn asked back.

"Live a life with all these monsters?! Where everyone is always against you?!" he wondered as he fully collapsed to the ground.

Lynn could only look down in absolute sorrow and pity at the man whom she once viewed as a fearsome being. Events had rendered him nothing more than a mere shell of a man. Someone who had been mentally broken down and crippled as a result of his constant defeats, loneliness, and feeling of helplessness coupled with petrifying fear of the world around him.

"Jake, I believe my brother once offered you this choice, and now I'm going to give you a second chance. Let me help you. Both of us, we're pretty messed up. But I'm working on fixing my problems, and you can do the same." She said as she looked down at him.

Earlier, when Lynn was on the floor after their fight in the sewer, Viribus lowered himself so he could talk to Lynn more closely and personally, as a means of creating the impression that he could relate to her. Recalling that, Lynn, now in the opposing position, tried the same thing. She kneeled so she could talk to and comfort the destroyed man in front of her…

"I can't change! It's too late. Maybe once. All those years I spent alone, ignored and unappreciated. I can never have them back. Those scars will never heal. Once, I had the potential to be so many great things. But all of that is gone now. Now I'm an enemy to the world, whether I like it or not!" Viribus reflected as he curled himself into a ball of self-pity.

"Come on, man. It's all inside your head!" Lynn reasoned as she tried to snap him out of his state.

"NO! It's not! Those people out there, they just take one look at me and automatically hate me. I had to walk the earth living a quiet life, living under a filter. Nobody ever liked me for me. In a world like that, I don't think I can be blamed for taking the path I did." He insisted, emerging from his curled-up position but still on the floor and shaken.

"They didn't all just hate you for no reason. They probably didn't even hate you at all." Lynn told him.

"You don't get it! Sometimes the universe just has it out for you!" he yelled.

Lynn, tired of arguing and not being the best soft speaker of the Louds even at the best of times, decided comforting him wasn't her strong point, and instead resorted to what she knew best…

"*Imitates a buzzer noise* That's a complete load! The whole world isn't always going out of its way to screw you! I know it may feel that way sometimes, but it's not! Look, I had it hard, so did Lincoln! Everybody has problems, but you're the only one who became a monster!" Lynn told him harshly.

"You don't… I… cannot… FUNCTION!" he blurted out as his emotional state continued to deteriorate.

"You have to! I get it, the world hasn't been kind to ya! Guess what? It's not been kind to any of us, either, but that doesn't give us the right to act like this! Your problem is you're too self-entitled! And do you know what? So am I! But that can change." She told him.

He managed to gain a grasp on his emotions for one moment to listen to what the surprisingly wise young jock had to say…

"We can work together to become better people! The way this aggressive, competitive way of thinking can affect you… I've seen what it's done to you, and what it will do to me. You may not have anyone, but I have a loving family who will help me become a better person. Jake, you could do the same. Just let my family and all the people around you give you some help for once." She advised.

"You don't… get it! I won't be accepted now! Not after… everything I've done!" he said.

Lynn wanted badly for this man, whom she felt sorry for, and even somewhat bonded with, to listen to her pleas of reason, as far-fetched as they were. She stood up and looked down on him, still with the same sympathetic look, trying to think of the right words to convince him to follow her advice.

Just then, the rest of the family finally barged into the house…

"Take him!" Lori yelled as the Louds prepared to charge at Viribus quickly so he couldn't harm Lynn before they could get to him.

But they paused when they saw that the sporty sibling already had the situation under control.

"LJ! Are you safe?!" Lynn Sr asked.

The family collectively let out a huge sigh of relief after seeing Lynn standing tall a second time over the dangerous psycho…

"You kicked his butt again!" Luna congratulated.

"Yeah, show that creep who's boss!" Lola added.

"Don't worry. It's done. Jake over here is going to turn himself in, along with me." Lynn stated.

"I can't do that. Haven't I suffered enough?! I must win, I must change the world." Viribus desperately let out, not wanting to go back to confinement.

"Just let it go. Maybe if you let the counsellor talk some sense into you, it will be the best thing that could happen." Lynn insisted.

"No, it's already too late for that. The chance for me to have been different, or happy, is long gone." he argued.

"Yeah, well, I could've been different, too. I could have been nicer, and maybe not so petty and over-competitive all the time. I could have been someone who doesn't throw tantrums to get what she wants and doesn't treat her brother like a punching bag sometimes. We both have a lot of problems. This is why I'm saying we could go back and become better people together. Oh, and as far never accepting you, you'd be surprised how nice people can be if you actually make the effort to care about someone other than yourself! I should know, because for all my flaws, I have a family and friends who all love me, because they know I have their back when all is said and done!" Lynn argued.

Just at that moment, a new factor introduced itself into the situation.

"Hey, guys! I found this outside!" Leni said.

"That's a bomb, Leni! Like the one we saw back at the hideout! Henry said he put one beside the house!" Lincoln shouted after seeing it was one of the explosives Henry and Viribus had.

"Get it out of here!" Lynn Sr panicked.

Viribus, seeing an opportunity to escape, used his little remaining energy and one good leg left to spring towards Leni and grab the explosive.

He managed to swipe it from her hands, once again gaining power over the Louds.

"Alright! Let me go, or I'll set this thing off!" Viribus desperately threatened.

"This is a repeat, Jake! You tried this last time, it didn't work! Don't you ever learn? Listen to my sister and just turn yourself in!" Lincoln said.

"I CAN'T!" he yelled.

Lincoln then walked over and said to his fallen foe…

"Yes, you can. It's over now. Just put the bomb down carefully and go back to prison." Lincoln told him.

"Jake. You've been up all night. You've been injured and worn down. You're exhausted, and you're losing your mind. If you get out, it will only be a matter of time before you're caught anyway. The cops are no longer busy with the other criminals, since I set them up to get arrested earlier this morning. In fact, they're probably on their way right now. There's no way out!" Lynn informed him, giving him a reality check.

Knowing he was defeated and with no chance to prevail or even get away, Viribus finally lowered his defences. Even with all his determination, he just couldn't continue fighting anymore. He knew he had lost.

All other thoughts were abandoned at that moment. All he could think of at that second was how he had lost, and the sense of crippling and shameful defeat that was erupting inside his psyche. In a moment of mental blindness, Viribus released his grip on the bomb and dropped it…

…unfortunately, he dropped it a little harder than intended. A slow beeping sequence began to play from the explosive device.

"Uh-oh." Lincoln said nervously.

"Oh dear! That hazardous chemical compound contraption has begun an impending chronological sequence!" Lisa said.

The rest of the Louds looked puzzled for a split second before Lisa realised she had to dumb down her sentence.

"IT'S GONNA BLOW!" the smart Loud girl shouted.

"GET OUT!" Rita commanded to her family as they all made a quick and furious run towards the front door.

As they didn't know how many seconds they had until the bomb exploded, the family's survival instincts kicked in as their first and only move was to evacuate the building as quickly as possible. The kids exited the house and safely went to the other side of the street where they would be safe from the blast. The parents followed, and finally Lincoln.

Lynn, however, wasn't in such a hurry to leave the building. She approached a defeated and destroyed Jake Kelly as the beeping sequence gradually increased in speed.

"So, you've won, Loud. Now all my visions will never come to be." Viribus sadly stated, as he hung his head down and closed his eyes, awaiting annihilation.

"Come on, Jake! You've gotta get out of here! The whole house is gonna go!" Lynn said.

"Believe me, you're the only one who cares." He apathetically replied.

"No way! You're not getting out that easy!" Lynn said she began to pull him up.

At that moment, the entire philosophy of Jake Kelly had been put into question. He never believed a human being could be so selfless or so caring. Especially not after everything he had done to her. Of all people, the rough and rambunctious Lynn Loud Junior was making the would-be destroyer of worlds reconsider this stance on the toxicity of people.

His heart had even been touched, slightly. He was surprised he even had a heart left at that point, but clearly Lynn's act of concern for his well-being, and her determination for helping him, in spite of having no good reason to. He felt something he hadn't felt in a long time, maybe not ever. A genuine platonic connection with someone else.

"Come on, Jake! We're getting you out of here!" Lynn said, determined to act on her promise.

Lynn lifted Jake to his feet but the leg kick from minutes ago caused her support of him to backfire as he collapsed back onto the floor. His bad leg plus his low energy level rendered his ability to stand and move almost null.

"Lynn, GET OUT OF THERE!" Lincoln yelled from the front yard.

"Lincoln, get back!" Lynn Sr instructed his son from across the street.

"But Lynn is still in there!" Lincoln shouted back.

"Lincoln! Just GO, I got this!" Lynn shouted at her brother from inside the house.

"You're right, you should just go, too." Jake sadly said as he lay on the floor.

"No, I can't leave you!" Lynn cried.

"Lynn, come on! That thing will blow any second!" Lincoln pleaded to his sister from outside the house.

"I can't just leave him! Everyone else may have given up on him, but I won't! Just this once, somebody's gonna stick by this guy!" Lynn replied, determined to help Jake.

"But Lynn…" Lincoln started, but didn't finish, knowing he couldn't talk her out of it, due to hr stubbornness. Regretfully, Lincoln made his way to the other side of the street with his family, and hoped Lynn would make it out alive.

The beeping sequence of the explosive device was rapidly increasing in speed…

Lynn tried once more to raise Jake to his feet, but she wasn't making progress with getting him out fast enough.

"There is… no time." Jake said.

"Yes! There! IS!" Lynn argued, not wanting to give in.

But even she knew there wasn't. She was never going to get him out on time. But she couldn't just leave him.

Then, for the first time in years, Lord Viribus did something completely selfless…

…as Lynn manged to partially lift him to his feet, he used his last ounce of strength to pick her up and quickly throw her towards the front door, before collapsing down once again.

Lynn landed at the front doorway entrance to the house, and she immediately looked back at the man who was a goner. Jake Kelly looked down at the floor in despair as he knew his time had come. Lynn felt compelled to go back and try to rescue him a final time, but the beeping sequence had become really fast and it seemed the bomb would detonate any second.

"LYNN!" Lincoln cried from afar.

Realising she had no time left, Lynn picked herself up, ran away from the house, and towards her family. She immediately ran to her siblings and parents, who embraced her as she reached them. The whole family then looked on as they saw their house… about to be destroyed.

Inside the Loud house, Jake Kelly was defeated, distraught, and destroyed. It was all over for him. He was going out with a bang, but he was doing so alone and with nothing to show for it. Nothing except for that tiny instant where one small girl actually cared about him enough to try saving him. Beneath all the misery in his mind during his final moment, a small smile emerged on his face, for he had received genuine care from another soul for the first time in many years…

…and then, the beeping sequence reached its conclusion.

 ***BOOM***

* * *

 _Be sure to check out part 2 of the climax tomorrow for the aftermath of what happened here._


	25. Destruction and Redemption - Part 2

**Chapter 25: Destruction and Redemption (Part 2 of 2)**

 _Continued… Make sure you read chapter 24 before this._

* * *

The entire house was destroyed in the explosion. The Loud family looked on in horror as they saw their beloved house blown to bits.

"It's… gone." Lynn Sr cried in disbelief.

"I don't believe it!" Luna said, shocked.

"Everything we've been through together, all the memories…" Lincoln followed with intense sadness.

The family could only stand there and gasp at the sight they had just seen. Their whole lives revolved around that house, and just like that, it was no more.

"I'm… sorry." Lynn said, more apologetic than she could have ever been.

"It's okay. It wasn't your fault." Rita reassured her daughter.

"We had time to throw the bomb outside! Why didn't we?!" Lola questioned.

"We didn't know how much time we had! We just knew we had to get out!" Lana reminded her.

"Yes. What's most important is we're safe." Lori said.

The Louds on as what was left of the building slowly crumbled to the ground in flame. They all held each other's hands to give a feeling of mutual unity for each other and a little bit of comfort. Then it seemingly went from bad to worse as another grim thought occurred to them.

"Oh no! I just realised. What about the animals?!" Leni pointed out.

"Charles? Geo? Walt? Cliff?!" Lincoln voiced out of concern.

Fortunately, at that moment, the pets came running over to their masters in a group.

"They must have been playing the doghouse together when the house went up!" Luna deduced.

"Oh, thank heaven for that!" Lynn Sr let out in relief.

"But Lana, what about Hops?" Lola asked to her twin.

To answer that, Hops leaped out of Lana's pocket.

"He was just taking a nap." Lana said casually.

"Good thing, too, or he'd be roasting right now." Lincoln said.

Some of the sisters then kneeled down so they could embrace their pets, who had also managed to narrowly survive the cataclysm.

As the family waited to see their precious house burn to ashes before their very eyes whilst trying to comfort each other, siren noises were growing in the background. The other criminals had been recaptured and the crime spree was over, but the local services still had jobs to do.

For a start, the fire service was called out to deal with the house fire…

…and the police had unfinished business of their own.

* * *

Later, after the initial grief had passed, the family decided to talk about what they needed to do next.

"Well, I think we're going to have to turn to our relatives to take us in for a while until we get this place rebuilt." Rita stated.

"Just like before, half of us will need to stay with Pop-Pop, and the other with Aunt Ruth." Lynn Sr said.

"Oh, darn! I just know I'm gonna get the short end of the stick!" Lola angrily said.

"We'll probably have to decide who goes where with the names in a hat game again. And no calling dibs on anywhere!" Rita enforced.

"Eh, I'm not worried about that. I don't think I'll be going with either half." Lynn admitted with a regretful tone.

As she said that, a police car came driving down the street. The sporty Loud girl knew what was about to happen, and braced herself for it as the officer got out of the car and walked towards her.

"Lynn Loud Junior. You are under arrest for escaping the juvenile detention centre!" said the police lady who approached her.

Lynn, without putting up any sort of fight, raised her hands and allowed herself to be cuffed.

"Wait a second, officer! You can't do that!" Lincoln protested.

The police officer then turned to face the family.

"Oh really? And why not?!" she sternly asked.

"If it wasn't for Lynn, this whole town would still be run with criminals!" Luan said.

"That's right. Lynn literally just saved the day!" Lori added.

"She saved Royal Woods from eternal darkness…. Figuratively." Lucy said.

"You shouldn't be arresting her, dude! You should be giving her a Nobel prize!" Luna declared.

"Sorry, but the law is the law, and this one will have to return to serve the rest of her sentence! She escaped from prison willingly, and this may increase her sentence substantially." the officer stated.

"BOGUS, dude!" Luna protested.

"I'm just doing my job! I'm sorry, but this one has to come with me." the officer said.

"But that's not…" Lincoln started.

"Guys, it's okay! She's right. I have to go back to juvie. Don't worry. Things will be okay. I promise." Lynn said in an effort to calm them down.

The jock then left in the police car while the Louds looked on. Lynn looked back one last time at her family as she was forced into the back seat of the vehicle as they all teared up at the sight of her leaving.

Not only had they lost their house, but they also lost their daughter and sister for a second time. They were completely devastated at that moment. Despite the fact that they prevailed over a major threat and saved the entire town from total destruction, it certainly didn't feel like a victory on a personal level.

As for Lynn, she had a whole range of emotions flowing around in her head. On one hand, she was proud of herself from defeating Viribus and saving her family, as well as the entire Royal Woods. On the other, she was filled with a massive sense of regret. She regretted falling for the enhancements setup in the first place. She regretted getting tricked by the coach, the snake girls, and even Viribus himself throughout the whole ordeal she had been through. Not to mention being responsible for some much pain and loss that her family had to endure. Like the other Louds, while Lynn technically won the battle, she felt like she had lost.

To top it all off, for someone so used to feeling like such a winner, she was taken aback by the fact that she failed to save Jake Kelly from his own self-destruction.

But her self-reflection was interrupted by the officer who had arrested her, who spoke from the front of the car whilst driving…

"Hey, kid. I know what you did today. I understand you must be feeling horrible right now, but there are some things you should be proud of. I recognise your voice, you're the one who called us about that big heist where you set up the other crooks to get caught, aren't you? Your family was telling the truth about that. Well, that was great work. It would have taken us weeks to round up all those guys without you! The amount of chaos you've prevented is significant, don't underestimate that. In fact, I think with that act under your name, you'll get let out early." She praised.

"But, what about that stuff you said where my sentence would get longer?" Lynn asked.

"I said it MAY get longer. I mean, you did break out along with everyone else. But I think what you did today more than makes up for that. I'll inform the local police and judges what you've done. I've been ordered to take you back to juvie. But if you're lucky, you may receive a pardon for your crimes." The officer said.

Those comments gave Lynn just a little bit of happiness amidst all the pain and regret. Just briefly, a small smile emerged on her face…

* * *

"Royal Woods Municipal Court is now in session. Judge Daniels presiding." soon enough were words heard once again by the Louds.

"We are all here to review the sentence of Lynn Loud Junior for her crimes of assault and violence, abuse of a harmful substance, and unsocial behaviour, as well as accusations against her involvement in the recent crime spree that resulted from the prison breakout." the judge said.

This was an occurrence the Loud family were all too familiar with. Waiting anxiously for the verdict to be delivered, whilst hoping for the best, and preparing for the worst.

But this time, the evidence was stacked in their favour. An officer of the law spoke on behalf of Lynn, and the heinous acts of Henry Fredericks were apparent to everyone.

"Officer Swinson. Can you inform the jury your knowledge of the accused's involvement in the recent breakout?" Judge Daniels asked her.

"Yes, your honour. Lynn Loud dialled 9-1-1 the night of the breakout and told me about the planned bank heist she had set up. She told all the escaped criminals to attempt a combined effort at a specific moment in time where she insisted the police would be occupied with a diversion. However, she then told me to hide and wait with my fellow officers so we could hold them at gun point and arrest them." the officer explained.

"So, you're saying that without miss Loud, Royal Woods would have been subject to a lot more crime for many days and weeks?" the judge asked.

"That's right." she replied.

The faces of the Louds lit up as this evidence favoured Lynn's chances of a desirable outcome, as did the next part…

"Henry Fredericks. The evidence against you is appearing overwhelmingly conclusive. It is confirmed you ceased your position as baseball coach after Lynn's trial, suggesting you only took the role on as part of the setup you arranged with public threat Jake Kelly to get her sent to juvenile detention." said Lynn's lawyer.

"Hey! I already told you! I left because of the stress of one of my star players succumbing to the influence of drugs!" Henry defended.

"Yes… you also rented a property in the local area and were overdue 4 weeks rent. In addition to that, we found some very interesting items in said property, Mr Fredericks. Not only were there large quantities of the same illegal substances you claim the accused stole from you, but there were also some stripped-down boxes lying around. These boxes were identified as those containing explosive devices within them. TNT-filled bombs, if you will. Our local police have found several of these items scattered around town, and they all have your fingerprints on them. Furthermore, your involvement with Jake Kelly's plan to sabotage the local community area has been supported by various witnesses of the events that transpired." the lawyer accused.

"That's all a load of complete trash! Who told you that anyway?! Probably those dumb LOUDS!" Henry bit back furiously.

"No, it was none other than two of the notoriously known snake girls, who are in this court room right now. They were also involved in Mr Kelly's web of strategic planning, were they not?" the lawyer rhetorically asked as he pointed to the two snake girls sitting down in seats.

He was taken aback as he knew he had no way out. The evidence was too strong against him. His heinous acts were clearly obvious to everyone. He decided he was not going to go down quietly…

"ALRIGHT! FINE! Yes! I did all of it! I worked with Viribus to blow up this stupid town, all for the money! I ADMIT IT! THERE! Are you happy now?! I planted bombs across town, I gained access to illegal substances from screwy labs! I manipulated a young girl into committing acts of violence and set her up to take the fall! AND I'M PROUD OF IT! Because you're all a bunch of jokers! Look at you, so pathetic and weak and stupid! It's a shame our plan didn't work out, because the world would be better off without you people and your dumb town!" Henry angrily let out to the courtroom.

"Get him out of my sight!" the judge demanded.

Henry was then taken out of the room by two cops. He walked past the Loud family on his way out to give them one last dirty look. It was clear to everyone that he wasn't going to see the light of day for a VERY long time…

With that, the blame placed against Lynn for her crimes was completely removed from the situation. All that was left was the official verdict to be stated outright.

"Given all the new evidence that has to come to light, there is nothing left but to overrule the verdict from your previous trial. The blame for your crimes of violence and misuse of enhancements has been lifted. Full responsibility is to be attributed to Mr Fredericks, who has admitted to manipulating your actions and pressuring you to take the supplements. Also, with no conclusive evidence for your involvement in the death of Jake Kelly or his plan to demolish Royal Woods, nor any role in the cause of the breakout, as well as taking into account your noble act of helping retrieve all the escaped convicts, it is only right that your sentence is uplifted and I tell you that you are free to go." the judge decided.

 ** _*WHAM*_**

The whack of the hammer then made that decision final.

"WOO HOO!" the Louds collectively shouted as they jumped for joy.

Lynn then ran across the room towards her family, and embraced her father, with her mother and siblings joining in. Finally, the Loud family was truly one again. Pop Pop and Aunt Ruth, who were temporarily taking care of each half of the family and present in the room, also shed a tear out of happiness for their loved ones.

"It's good to see you back, LJ!" Lynn Sr said.

"We all literally missed you." Lori stated.

"Thanks, guys. You have no idea how great it is to be back!" Lynn responded.

* * *

Shortly after the trial had concluded, the family were making their exit. On the way out, Lynn tapped her brother on the shoulder, signalling she wanted a quick talk.

"Um, Mom, Dad, I just need to use the bathroom for a minute." Lynn said.

"Er, yeah, me too, just wait for us out front." Lincoln followed.

Lynn then walked with Lincoln over to a quiet corner where they could talk.

"What is it, Lynn?" asked Lincoln.

"Um, yeah, I just wanted to say… thanks." Lynn awkwardly let out.

"What for?" he asked.

"I was told it was you who fought my case for me while I was in juvie and questioned that creep Henry." Lynn said.

"Yeah, I was happy to help." Lincoln told her.

"Well, I'm grateful. Everybody knows I haven't done anything to deserve your love or trust." Lynn regretfully admitted.

"What do you mean?" he questioned.

"I can't believe you would do such a thing for me after all the times I've attacked you, threatened you, worked against you… I really don't deserve such a good brother." Lynn said.

"Lynn! You just saved the entire town by yourself! That's something to be proud of! If anything, I should be envious." Lincoln stated.

"Yeah, but I did a lot of terrible things, too. For years, I've let my harsh past and aggressive, competitive obsession lead me to doing so many selfish, horrible things. I've not always acted the best towards others, and you're one of the biggest victims of that. Heck, even when I tried to help you that one time in Middle school, my screwed up ways messed things up for you!" She said.

"That's all in the past." he comforted her as he placed his hand on her shoulder.

"Gee, you really are forgiving, aren't you?" she rhetorically asked, causing the two to share a brief chuckle.

"I just know that you mean well, and you care about all of us. You just have problems showing it, sometimes." he told her.

"Lincoln, please believe me when I tell you, I'm going to be a WAY cooler big sis to you from now on. I saw what over-competitive violence can do to a person, and so have you. I don't want to end up like Jake!" Lynn promised.

"But Lynn, you're nothing like him! You may have similar pasts and some common quirks and flaws, but you're different where it counts. You still care about others, you still stop yourself from going too far. You proved that when you fought against him. Jake had you believe you were the same and that you were hated and beyond redemption. You've demonstrated that's not true." He said.

"Thanks, bro. That means a lot. Still, I'm going to make sure I'm a lot nicer and closer with you. Just see, I'll be the best sister ever!" she declared.

"Um, Lynn…" Lincoln subtly nodded.

"Oh, right. Too over-competitive. Sorry. Baby steps." She corrected.

Lynn then gave Lincoln two light punches to the arm. However, unlike previous digs, these punches were purely light-hearted fun, and gave Lincoln no physical pain.

"You know, you could just hug me instead." Lincoln joked.

"Eh, that would just be too mushy." Lynn joked back.

Lincoln then held his arms out as he encouraged Lynn to put her macho image aside for one moment and hug it out. After a second of hesitation, Lynn gave in and embraced the hug.

The two then laughed as they walked out of the building, sharing a new understanding and closer bond with each other.

As they walked back to the rest of the family, they shared one final brief exchange…

"You know, I still regret one thing. I still wish I could have saved him." Lynn recalled.

"I know, Lynn. I know."

* * *

Later…

 ** _We now bring you Royal Woods local news. Today's top story, the recent mass breakout of criminals from the local Royal Woods Prison and Juvie Centre has been effectively dealt with by the police. All of the escaped prisoners were found in a joint effort trying to pull off a heist against the Royal Woods Bank. However, because of a call made by one of the escapees, Lynn Loud Junior, to the station, the police arrived at the scene and took them back into custody._**

 ** _Other escaped criminals not found at the heist have also been found and taken back to confinement. One example including 'Black Mamba' and her Snake Gang. Her real name Ashley Drake, Mamba actually returned to her prison willingly after having spent time in a hospital outside of town, claiming she wanted a chance to see her dying mother one last time. Three juvenile inmates, plus one adult prisoner, all of whom claimed they wanted "no part of it" all remained in their cells despite the opportunity for them to try and escape._**

 ** _Lynn Junior, as well as being praised for her role in neutralising the mass outbreak situation, was cleared of all charges at her review trial today and has been released from her juvenile sentence. She was trialled for being responsible for the consumption of dangerous drugs and acts of violence. However, the review brought up new evidence that concluded these crimes were because of the actions of her former baseball coach, Henry Fredericks. Fredericks has been sentenced to life behind bars._**

 ** _He was also involved in a plot with escaped offender, Jake Kelly, alias Lord Viribus, to plant explosives across the town and blow up numerous important buildings. The plot was thwarted, however, and the bombs have now been found and deactivated. Only one of these bombs was known to have been set off, and this was at the house of none other than the aforementioned Lynn Loud and her family._**

 ** _Due to Lynn's role in stopping the crime spree, neighbours and residents of the area have offered to help with the funding and reconstruction of the building to be completed as soon as possible. The Loud family have stated they have temporary living arrangements with their relatives until the house is rebuilt. One of the Loud children, Lincoln, had this to say:_**

 ** _"Pop-Pop and Aunt Ruth have taken very good care of us since our house was blown up. They've done well to give us the best experience possible while we wait for the house to be rebuilt. Also, we'd all like to say thank you to everyone in the local area for helping with the house. It means a lot."_**

 ** _Jake Kelly was in the house when the bomb exploded. His remains were found in the wreckage. He was an inmate at the prison for his crime of holding Royal Woods Elementary School hostage and threatening the lives of many innocent children and teachers. He was believed to be the cause of the outbreak. Unfortunately, due to events, he cannot be questioned about this._**

* * *

Later still…

Many weeks passed before the family could return to their normal lives, considering the consequences of what happened.

Lynn Jr eventually found the courage to face her baseball team again after the whole mega-roids scandal. She wandered in one morning when they were practicing on the field for an upcoming game.

She walked over to the team, consisting of many of her friends: Margo, Paula, Polly, and so on. All instructed by their new coach, who took over after Henry's resignation.

"Hi, guys." Lynn nervously said to her team as they all turned around to face her.

She then braced herself as she prepared for a fierce roasting. However, she was surprised by the reaction she received…

*Clap clap*

Lynn looked on as her best friend, Margo Roberts, who she had last saw that morning when the two almost got into a fight, was the first one to congratulate her.

Margo was then joined by Paula, the coach, and finally the rest of the team as they all clapped in praise of what the lovable young jock had done for the good of the town.

"Huh? You guys aren't mad at me?" Lynn asked.

"Mad? Lynn, you saved the entire town!" Margo responded as the girls ran over and threw Lynn in above their shoulders.

"LYNN! LYNN! LYNN!" the girls shouted in unison.

"We all heard what happened, Loud. You did all of us proud." the coach said.

Lynn was surprised, but came to understand. In spite of her mistakes, and her flaws as a person, she was still a noble and good human being, and her good deeds outweighed the bad. She embraced the praise as she saw that dwelling over her bad actions and moments was never going to be a healthy way of looking at things.

Lynn enjoyed the moment, she earned it.

 ** _THE END_**

* * *

 _Well, that's all, folks. I hope you've enjoyed this story and what it had to offer. Now that my project is concluded, I will be shifting my focus back onto the televised content, such as the upcoming Ace Savvy episode as well as what seems to be an upcoming (actual) separate spin-off show for the Casagrandes._

 _As usual, feedback is welcome and appreciated. I understand a few individuals have had their faults and dislikes towards this fandom, and that is fair, given their right to exercise an opinion, but there have been some favourable comments as well. The praise is nice, of course. Still, I always enjoy reading the feedback comments, whether favourable, hostile or otherwise, since they always provide interesting perspectives and debates regarding the content of my work. I encourage you all to say your piece. Though, it would be preferable to remain civil, of course._

 _Anyway, have fun and remember to check out my other content on DeviantArt, if you don't do so already. Ta-ta for now._


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